In the aftermath of Nigeria’s painful exit from the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations, Super Eagles coach Stephen Keshi has queried the idea of the Nigeria Football Federation hiring a foreign coach as his replacement.
Keshi could not qualify Nigeria for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations in Equatorial Guinea after the team finished third in Group A of the qualifiers behind South Africa and Congo with just eight points from six matches.
But Keshi, who is presently without a contract with the team, told sports radio Brila FM on Monday that he was opposed to the NFF employing a European to replace him if he were to leave the job.
He added that should the NFF insist on a foreigner, they should as well then bring foreign players to represent the country.
He said, “If we need a foreign coach, we should also bring foreign players to play for Nigeria. So if they bring a white coach, he should come along with ‘Oyinbo’ players as well to play in the team.”
The former Togo coach was sacked after Nigeria’s 3-1 win over Sudan in Abuja but was reinstated after President Goodluck Jonathan reportedly asked the NFF to reverse their earlier decision.
But in what appeared to be a diversionary move, the NFF claimed that Shaibu Amodu, who had been appointed as Keshi’s replacement, stepped aside after nearly two weeks on the job and instead pleaded for Keshi to be reinstated and allowed to complete the qualifying series.
Before the executive order, NFF had been on the lookout for a foreign coach after the sack with many names such as Ruud Gullit, Giofranco Zola among others cropping up before Keshi’s dramatic return to the team.
The former Eagles captain took over the team from another Nigerian and current U-23 coach, Samson Siasia, in 2011 after he (Siasia) had also failed to qualify the country for the 2012 AFCON also staged in Equatorial Guinea.
In failing to qualify for Equatorial Guinea, the Eagles lost 3-2 to Congo in Calabar; played a goalless draw with South Africa in Cape Town and then lost 1-0 to Sudan in Khartoum. They beat Congo 2-0 in Pointe Noire in the reverse fixture after defeating Sudan 3-1 in Abuja. The 2-2 draw against South Africa in Uyo last week was not enough to see the team through after rivals Congo defeated Sudan 1-0 in Khartoum.
