Stephen Keshi will stay put as Nigeria head coach despite being out of contract and failing to guide the Super Eagles to the 2015 AFCON in Equatorial Guinea.
Administrative sources in the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) told supersport.com that Keshi will stay in charge of the team but will now be supervised by the technical director of the federation, Shuaibu Amodu.
The NFF has found itself in a dilemma over the future of Keshi after the country’s government intervened in a recent football governance crisis and also allegedly pleaded that the former Nigeria captain be reinstated after he was told to leave his head coach job in the middle of the Afcon qualifiers.
The football federation has also earmarked Keshi and his backroom staff for refresher courses abroad since he will remain in charge of the national team.
A source stated that “Stephen Keshi will stay put in his position as head coach of the Super Eagles. He has become untouchable since Mr. President allegedly told the NFF to allow him to return to the team. The NFF board is afraid to take any decision that will be considered rash and overturned.”
Another staff member in the NFF revealed: “For now, the NFF has decided to leave Keshi in charge but he will have to report to the technical director because the NFF does not want to have direct confrontation with him. And if he’s given a new contract that will be part of the condition to him.”
The current NFF, presided over by Amaju Pinnick, is disposed to bringing in a foreign coach but now has its hands tied since the country’s president had told it (the federation) to keep Keshi in his job.
Keshi has been out of contract since the end of the 2014 FIFA World Cup in July, and between that time and now, he has handled the team on an arrangement of per-match payment.
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