Now that Stephen Keshi has been sent packing from his post as the national team gaffer, The Eagle Online takes a look at the his undoings during his three years in the saddle.
Keshi was issued the red card after the African champions could only muster four points from four matches in the qualifiers, thereby putting in jeopardy the nation’s quest to defend the title won last year in South Africa.
Here are the real reasons for the downfall of the 52-year old coach:
Arrogance
One of the factors that led to the sack of Keshi was his desire to exert his authority as the head coach of the Eagles without due recourse to other people’s opinion. Keshi was the supposed messiah and he actually started work as such when he invited almost all the Eagles’ players in order to measure how good they were and those that would fit in with his strategy. Nigerians praised this bold move and he even endeared himself more to those that gave him the job when he said he would raise a formidable home-based team and that these players would fight for shirts on level terms with those abroad. He later digressed and just like those before him, the foreign professionals had their ways into his heart while leaving the domestic players in the lurch. There were also concerns in the Nigeria Football Federation that Keshi would not listen to advice from the technical committee on who to call up and what tactics to play since he won the AFCON in South Africa. This was only going to end one way: his sack.
Sacrificing merit for mediocrity
Another sin of Keshi was handing call ups to players that were of no relevance to the national team. Although his sticking to these players proved to be a worthy venture in some cases, but this ensured lack of competition for shirts became the order of the day. Keshi picked avoidable quarrels with some of his best legs and called up those that were not up to scratch as their replacements. Players such as Michael Uchebo, Reuben Gabriel, Shola Ameobi and Chigozie Agbim had no business being in the Super Eagles under Keshi.
Acting as players’ manager
Keshi was on several occasions accused of wanting to act as players’ agent, which has led to rancour between him and such players. He was fingered to have made such proposal to Ikechukwu Uche, which was the real reason for the Villarreal of Spain player’s bar from the national team. Keshi was quoted as saying if Uche scores goals in the skies, he will still not make the Super Eagles team to the World Cup. This shocking statement kept observers wondering and got the country’s football enthusiasts agitated, but all the pleadings for the player fell on coach’s deaf ears. He made true his threat as he went to the World Cup without Uche. Keshi claimed the striker was not a team player and that he failed to live up to his billings when he was given the starting shirt in the AFCON 2013 final against Burkina Faso. The Big boss allegedly approached Sunday Mba to fix the AFCON 2013 hero up in Europe, but all efforts to convince the midfielder hit the brick wall and Mba became a subject of controversy between Enugu Rangers and Warri Wolves before signing for a lower division side in France. Mba paid dearly for refusing to deal with Keshi by missing out of the Super Eagles World Cup party. Keshi claimed the player was late to Nigeria’s training camp and that the Bastia man lacked hunger. “His lateness to camp contributed to his missing out but outside that he did not show the hunger, the fight, we expected for him,” he said. “He was very relaxed and it was unlike him.”
Rancour with the big boys
It is clear that Stephen Keshi promised the players that they were part of his plans but turned around and shoved them aside when it pleased him though they had all planned their schedules to reflect what he had told them. Keshi ‘maltreated’ them. Most of them complained that he dropped them without duly notifying them as if they meant nothing to the team when indeed the opposite was the case. One of such players is Osaze Odemwingie, who claimed that his exclusion from the national team was no footballing reasons, believing that the Big boss simply wants to flex muscles as the man in-charge of the senior national team. Osaze went on to lash out at the coach via his Twitter handle and part of the penalty he paid for his action was being denied call ups to the national team. The Stoke City player paid the big price as he was not considered good enough for South Africa 2013 Nations Cup where the Super Eagles lifted their the trophy for the third time. Former Super Eagles captain, Joseph Yobo, also got a fair share of Keshi’s maltreatment. The Ogoni blanket, as the defender is fondly called, lost his national team shirt and the dreams of hitting his centenary was almost threatened. The erstwhile Everton of England defender permanently lost his place to the younger Kenneth Omeruo and Godfrey Oboabona and hell was let loose. The old war horse felt disrespected by his exclusion, claiming he had no pre-knowledge of the coach’s plans for the team. Obafemi Martins, who has been scoring goals with reckless abandon in the Major League Soccer, was an unwanted guest in the Super Eagles camp under Keshi. The pacy striker got a recall to the national team, but, surely, the player will blame his stars for honouring the call as he was not provided the opportunity to settle down and prove himself in the team. To attest to this, Keshi said that he will not be selecting Martins after the Seattle Sounders striker declared his availability for the national team.
Exploring Westerhof’s avenue
Clemens Westerhof was among the successful foreign coaches with the Super Eagles. The self acclaimed Dutchgerian was able to navigate his way to the Presidency and got the backing of the then Vice President, Augustus Aikhomu. With this support, Westerhof won the Nations Cup in Tunisia ’94 and also qualified and led Nigeria to her first ever World Cup, USA ’94. Keshi indeed tried to explore this avenue after winning the Nations Cup in South Africa. He tendered his resignation letter shortly after the feat but it took the intervention of those in the corridors of power for him to return to his post. The coach endeared himself to the Senate President, Senator David Mark, and the then Minister of Sports, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, and a running battle began with his employers, the Nigeria Football Federation, and the eggheads of the federation. He embarked on holidays without the approval of his employers and took them for mere puppets all the time.
Insistence on N15m monthly salary
Keshi stepped on many toes with his insistence on earning N15 million as his monthly salary and would not return to manage the Super Eagles if his demands were not met. Conscious of the coach’s rapport with the Presidency, the NFF opened up negotiations to retain him, but was also secretly in talks with some other coaches on the local scene and in Europe on who could step in as replacement should they fail to seal a new deal. The boastful Keshi went to town to declare that he was on the shopping list of so many countries, including South Africa. However, South Africa punctured his claim. The President of the South Africa Football Association, Danny Joordan, said on three occasions that his country has no intention of recruiting Keshi. It appears that Keshi was telling white lies when he linked himself to these countries as none of them attested to his claims and it was concluded that it was a means to secure an improved contract with the Nigeria Football Federation.
Altercations with the media
Keshi made several disparaging comments about the media and became their worst enemy. His unguarded comments against the media, the NFF, his players and other key stakeholders put him in the eye of the storm. He spoke loosely on sensitive issues and his comments angered the followers of the game. As matter of fact, Super Eagles striker, Emmanuel Emenike, recently went to the media complaining g about the coach’s comments against him. The player expressed his disappointment and threatened to stay away from the national team if the coach felt he was the problem in the national team.
Refusal of technical assistants
Keshi bluntly rejected an offer to the serves of a technical assistant at the World Cup but insisted on bringing back Sylvanus Okpalla who was axed by the NFF after the Nations Cup. The coach was seriously at loggerhead with the members of the technical committee of the NFF. He went on to pass some unprintable words on them and he was left alone to lead the African Champions to the World Cup unhindered. The Super Eagles ended up to struggle and were eliminated in a second round match in Brazil. Keshi’s old friends and former teammates in the Super Eagles, who were members of the technical committee, turned their back at him and their comments about the coach’s plans suggested such.
Failure to quit after World Cup
Finally, perhaps Keshi had peaked with the Eagles during the World Cup. If he had quit at that time, no matter the disappointment of having lost out in the second round, Nigerians would still have been overwhelmingly holding him in better esteem than they would if he continues to wobble now. He came in at a time when the Nigerian senior team football was at an all-time low. He rebuilt the team with some exciting home lads, animated their appetite for success and led them to win the Nations Cup last year. Having succeeded Samson Siasia, who was very popular until his Eagles shockingly failed to qualify for the Nations Cup in 2011, Keshi, with the loss to Congo and goalless draw away to South Africa and loss to Sudan, stands a risk of not only seeing Nigeria’s senior team football return to those dark days, but losing his standing in the comity of football stakeholders in the country and beyond.