NFF to dump Keshi for Siasia

Samson Siasia could be in line to replace Stephen Keshi as Nigeria coach unless the National Sports Commission stops the Nigeria Football Federation.

Goal exclusively gathered from a top NFF official at the weekend that the Super Eagles’ poor results against Congo where they lost 3-2 in Calabar as well as the goalless draw away to South Africa has blotted the impressive record of the trainer.

A top official of the Nigeria Football Federation disclosed that “there are many factors standing in the way of Stephen Keshi to be re-appointed as the Eagles chief coach and I will give you a break-down but before that I must say that Keshi must be most grateful to the Honourable Sports Minister (Tammy Danagogo) for fighting for his retention as the chief coach.

“The minister has never hidden his love and preference for him and he based it on Keshi’s past achievement which he said was more than necessary for him to continue his job. The minister still believes that the Eagles under Keshi could still bounce back and qualify for the 2015 Afcon in Morocco.

“But we at the NFF here know that the problem with the team is more than what we are seeing from the surface. Firstly, there is no commitment on the part of the players Keshi is parading for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers and if something drastic is not done, Nigeria may not be among those nations that would campaign in Morocco 2015,” the source who begged for his identity not to be revealed told Goal.

The NFF source also revealed that most of the members of the NFF Executive Board are no longer at ease with the alleged antics and disrespect of Keshi towards them and now want another coach who would listen to them and respect them as his employers. They have also not forgotten in a hurry the way Keshi allegedly humiliated the Aminu Maigari Board members during the Africa Cup of Nations which Nigeria won in South Africa in 2013 and felt highly disappointed with the way the Coach received all the accolades and praises from all and sundry without mere mention of the NFF Board and Secretariat.

“We all know how Keshi threatened to dump the team in South Africa shortly after the Eagles won the 2013 Afcon. The controversies generated by this singular action of his put the NFF then in a bad light and so many other crises including the Eagles threatening not to play one of the qualifying matches for the last World Cup as well as during the World Cup proper when the players demanded for their bonuses are all crises that have put negative mark on the NFF.

“So unless the National Sports Commission decides to use its veto powers, I don’t think Keshi would be retained as the Eagles coach. Even the N6 million that the minister said he is requesting for cannot be met by the NFF as a matter of fact. The NFF is broke for now and the crisis has not helped matters.

“It seems everybody is speaking favourably about Samson Siasia to come back to the post he left in 2011. Some of us believed that Siasia has learned his lessons and he would adjust where he has failed to bounce back with the Eagles. Another thing is that it will be very difficult for us to pick the 2015 Nations Cup ticket if we continue to parade the same players Keshi is using to prosecute the 2015 Afcon qualifiers so it is preferable Siasia comes to the rescue and bring new ideas and players that are fighters to salvage the situation.

“The reason for the choice of Siasia is that the NFF cannot afford the salary and emoluments of a foreign coach now, so employing a foreign coach to replace Keshi now is out of the issue. But we will know precisely how it goes after Tuesday when NFF elections will take place,” the source concluded.