Keshi Returns as Super Eagles Coach
for next month’s African Cup of Nation's Qualifiers
Stephen Keshi will return as
Nigeria coach for next month’s Nations Cup qualifiers, only days after
appearing to rule himself out of the job.
Keshi’s contract expired on 30
June and he said last week he had given up on negotiations over a new deal. But
he has now “temporarily abandoned” his decision to walk away.
“I want to respect the wishes of
Nigerians and the appeal by the Sports Minister to handle the team at least for
the two games,” he said. “The need to answer the patriotic call and respect the
wishes of Nigerians informed my coming for the key games.
“I’m going to see out these two games and
we’ll hopefully then sit down and talk about a new contract” “We work so hard
to win the Nations Cup in South Africa, I think we should do all that we can to
defend it in Morocco next year,” he added on AIT’s SportsExtra on Monday.
Talks over a new contract have
been ongoing since July but have been held up by problems within the
federation, including the sacking and the Fifa-ordered reinstatement of the
governing body’s president Aminu Maigari. The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF)
is understood to have offered Keshi a new four-year deal and the same
$30,000-a-month salary he was paid in his first stint as manager, while the
coach has asked for an increase. With the NFF board divided [two rival factions
locked in a bitter leadership row], Keshi says negotiations over a new deal
with have to wait until after the game against Congo on 6 September and South
Africa four days later.
“They want me to carry on but
nothing has been finalised, but officials, fans and the players want me to
stay.” He added: “I’m going to see out these two games and we’ll hopefully then
sit down and talk about a new contract, if everything can be agreed. Despite a
bitter leadership crisis currently rocking the country’s football authority,
Nigeria have already named a 23-man squad for their upcoming qualifiers.
The defending champions will also
face Sudan in Group A with the top two advancing to January’s finals in
Morocco. Meanwhile, the NFF general assembly on 26 August has now been moved to
Abuja from Warri, but it will not be an elective congress.
The assembly will be asked to
postpone the elections that were also due to be held on Tuesday, following
unresolved complaints raised by some candidates.
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