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NFF To Unveil Keshi On Tuesday

By Gowon Akpodonor
19 April 2015   |   8:31 am
The unveiling ceremony earlier fixed for last Friday in Abuja failed to materialize, prompting some Nigerians to insinuate that the NFF is holding out May 29 for President Goodluck Jonathan to hand over government before announcing a coach of their choice, instead of Keshi.
Keshi-OK

Keshi

AT last, the highly publicized unveiling of Stephen Keshi as Super Eagles’ coach will take place on Tuesday, the President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Amaju Pinnick, has said.

The unveiling ceremony earlier fixed for last Friday in Abuja failed to materialize, prompting some Nigerians to insinuate that the NFF is holding out May 29 for President Goodluck Jonathan to hand over government before announcing a coach of their choice, instead of Keshi.

But the NFF boss, who spoke with The Guardian on phone from London yesterday, declared that the unveiling ceremony would hold on Tuesday. “We are unveiling Keshi as Super Eagles coach on Tuesday unfailingly. Take me for my word. It must take place on Tuesday,” Pinnick told The Guardian.

The NFF Secretary General, Dr. Mohammed Sanusi, had told Nigerians categorically early last week that the new Eagles coach would emerge on Friday. But it never came to pass.

In fact, some journalists who thronged the NFF office in Abuja on Friday in anticipation of the unveiling ceremony, left angrily with a feeling that Nigerians had been taken for a ride by the NFF.

But Pinnick said that the NFF does not have any hidden agenda concerning the unveiling of Keshi as Super Eagles coach.

However, the NFF boss may not be on ground for Keshi’s unveiling ceremony on Tuesday in Abuja. He revealed yesterday that he would meet with officials of a kit manufacturing company in London on Thursday.

Stephen Keshi, 53, a former captain and coach of the Super Eagles, is expected to sign a two-year contract with the NFF. His first assignment will be the qualifying campaign for the 2017 AFCON in June against Chad in Abuja.

However, some Nigerians have vehemently kicked against the idea of bringing back Keshi, after failing to qualify Nigeria for the 2015 AFCON in Equatorial Guinea.

2 Comments

  • Author’s gravatar

    Is Keshi’s case that of omorrow never comes?

  • Author’s gravatar

    6 months wasted. We could have rebuilt our team. Nigeria will now appointment a new coach on 4/21/15. Our next game is in June against Chad. No friendly games scheduled before the . The last game Keshi coached was against South Africa in November 2014. No kit sponsor deal. Nigeria is planning to fail.