NFF pledges total support for Keshi

The President of the Nigeria Football Federation, Alhaji Aminu Maigari, reiterated on Monday that the nation’s football governing body will give the Super Eagles’ Head Coach, Stephen Keshi, all the necessary support to succeed in his assignment.
Maigari, who was in Zurich last week for a meeting of the FIFA Players’ Status Committee, of which he is a member, said: “We believe totally in what he is doing and his actions because these dovetail perfectly with the vision of the present NFF administration.

“We are happy with the way he is going about the job and have no complaints whatsoever.”
There have been praises across the country for Stephen Keshi and his crew following the Super Eagles’ full home-based squad 2-0 win over Liberia in an international friendly played in Monrovia on Wednesday.
The 50-year old former defender signed a contract with the Nigeria Football Federation at the beginning of November 2011, to qualify the Super Eagles for the 2013 African Cup of Nations and the 2014 FIFA World Cup finals.
The win in Liberia took Keshi’s tally to two wins out of four matches, with the other two drawn, but all have been friendlies.
The first competitive challenge comes on Wednesday next week when the Super Eagles confront the Wasps of Rwanda in a 2013 Cup of Nations qualifier in Kigali.
“The important thing is that the team has vital psychological meal to go on with, following the victory in Monrovia. Of course, there will be a number of foreign-based players added to the team and that can only improve the team’s output in Kigali”, observed Maigari.
Keshi’s team drew 0-0 with Botswana’s Zebras in a friendly at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, Benin City on November 12 and then defeated the Chipolopolo of Zambia (recently crowned champions of Africa) 2-0 at the Ahmadu Bello Stadium, Kaduna on November 15.
On January 11, 2012, the wholly home based squad stretched thin Angola’s ‘A’ team, bound for the Cup of Nations finals, in a 0-0 draw in Abuja.
Keshi, Nigeria’s longest-serving captain, set into the job with so much seriousness, banning ear ring wearing in and around his camp and yanga football on the pitch.
He has also told players invited to the national camp to forget about being allowed to go on meaningless ‘trials’ abroad and giving everyone, including his assistants, a sense of belonging.
While he has invited only 11 foreign-based players (those who are very active in the different Leagues of Europe), Keshi has moved quickly to assure those left out now that they would, of course, be considered for subsequent games if they start playing regularly for their clubs.
One of the strikers invited, Ikechukwu Uche, followed up the call with two goals for his Spanish club, Granada, in a La Liga win over Real Sociedad at the weekend.
“It is early days yet, but we have confidence in Keshi to take the team to new heights”, stated Maigari, as Keshi announced his determination to take Nigeria back to the top 10 on the FIFA Ranking.
Maigari added: “Yes, we expected a drop in the monthly Ranking because our team did not participate at the 2012 African Cup of Nations.
“But we have a Head Coach who is equally ambitious and is already looking forward to taking the team back to the top.”
Keshi’s toughest day on the road comes in Kigali against the Wasps on Wednesday next week but Maigari believes there is nothing to be anxious about.
Maigari said: “With the kind of work Keshi and the technical crew have done on the home boys and the fact that only the very active foreign-based players have been invited, the Super Eagles will go to Kigali to win, no less.
“They have been doing a great job and we can only call on Nigerians to offer their prayers and support for the team to excel in Rwanda and in subsequent matches.”
With the collapse of the foreign-based and home-based Super Eagles into one, it means Keshi will also be saddled with the task of qualifying the country for a first appearance at the African Nations championship in January 2014 in South Africa.
“We know he is up to the task. There is no reason to panic,” Maigari concluded.