NFF will decide on Keshi.

As the Nigerian sporting community
continues to grope in the dark as to the
fate of Super Eagles coach Stephen
Keshi after the country failed to qualify
for the 2015 Africa Nations Cup, the
Ministry of Sports officials have
insisted that only the Nigeria Football
Federation can decide the next move.
The Director General of the National
Sports Commission Mr. Gbenga
Elegbeleye placed the buck on the
table of the NFF when he spoke with
journalists in Abuja on Wednesday.
The former member of the House of
Representatives Committee on Sports
reiterated that it was the responsibility
of the NFF to hire and fire coaches and
that the NSC would always support the
decision of the NFF on the matter.
He said, “We are the supervisory body
and we are not expected to do the job
of the Nigeria Football Federation for
them. So if the NFF wishes to retain or
relieve Keshi of his job, it is their sole
responsibility. We can’t do their job
for them. We will support and respect
their decisions on the issue. Our
responsibility is to ensure that all the
NFF need to give us positive results as
regards the national teams is given to
them. That is all.”
But despite the position taken by the
NSC on the matter, experts of the
game insists that such statements
were only possible on paper as it has
become apparent that NFF members
were forced to recall Keshi after he
was relieved of his position. Even
though the NFF President Amaju
Pinnick has consistently denied that
Keshi was forced on them by the
Presidency, insiders in Nigeria
football matters confirmed to our
correspondent that the coach was
recalled on the orders of President
Goodluck Jonathan and it is for the
same reason that they have found it
difficult to take a clear decision on the
matter. The NFF were in search of a
foreign coach before Keshi was
suddenly returned to the team just
hours after Jonathan met with Pinnick
and some other top sports officials in
Abuja.
Keshi’s contract with the NFF expired
with the 2014 World Cup which ended
in Brazil in July.
The NSC top officials have also
condemned the performance of the
Eagles in failing to qualify for the 2015
Africa Cup of Nations despite the kind
of support the team received.
Elegbeleye said at the same forum,
“We are not happy about missing out
of the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations. I can
tell you honestly that we are not happy
about it at all.
“Missing out as the defending
champions is so frustrating and
unfortunate,” he said.
“What we need to do now is to make
Nigerians happy again by building a
strong Super Eagles team that will be
a pride of all. I think this again has
afforded us the opportunity of having a
holistic look at where we are lacking.”