Keshi must say sorry – NFF

It has been learnt that Stephen Keshi will have to tender an unreserved apology to the members of the Nigeria Football Federation before he will sign the new contract and be accepted as the substantive coach of the Super Eagles.

The executive members of the Federation met in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State last Wednesday before the Eagles played a friendly game against Uganda and agreed to give Keshi a new two-year deal but with a condition that he apologises to the executive committee for insubordination.

A top official of the NFF told Africanfootball.com, “Keshi has been told he has the job, but first he must apologise for what was regarded as gross insubordination over time.

“That explains why he will sign a code of conduct.”

There has been a frosty relationship between employer and employee. Their misunderstanding started before the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations finals and it got to the boiling point during the final round in South Africa and the post-competition events. In a show of disagreement with the NFF, Keshi ‘resigned’ his appointment on air via a South Africa radio station. A new board has been in place since last September but that has not made any difference as the spat continued publicly even while both sides negotiated the new contract.

Apart from Keshi, it has also been learnt that the other national team coaches have also been ordered to refrain from discussing with the media matters outside their technical work, ranging from salaries and other administrative issues. The letters to all serving national team coaches were sent out earlier in March.

In the course of negotiations, Keshi described his new contract as “a slave contract” and wanted several clauses in it removed. He has also publicly complained about unpaid salaries and bonuses.

Keshi was advised several times by highly-placed coaches to leave the team as Nigeria struggled to qualify for the 2015 African Nations Cup held in Equatorial Guinea but dramatically returned to the team allegedly on the orders of President Goodluck Jonathan. The NFF president Amaju Pinnick has since told The PUNCH that Jonathan never asked them to retain Keshi but followers of events at the football house believe that a top government official played a key role in his return.

It is not exactly clear what direction the contractual discussion may now take with the opposing All Progressives Party candidate Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd) having been declared the winner of Nigeria presidential election with May 29 as take-over date.

Daniel Amokachi has been working as an interim coach of the team but it is hoped that Keshi will take charge before the African qualifiers begin in June.