As Keshi Goes Home…

Nigeria and the African sports community woke up Tuesday Morning to the news of the death of former Super Eagles Coach, Stephen Okechukwu Keshi. Keshi will be remembered in history as one of the two men who have won the African Cup of Nations as Player and Coach respectively.

Stephen Okechukwu Chinedu Keshi (31 January 1961- 8 June 2016) was a Nigerian football defender who rose to prominence when he began playing for the super eagles in 1981 at age 20. He however, left the Super Eagles in 1994.

In his time with the Super Eagles, he had 64 Caps and scored nine goals.

Nicknamed “Big Boss” Keshi, started out his career playing for ACB Lagos in 1979. His career as a player lasted 19 years with appearances for New Nigeria Bank (1980-84), Stade d’Abidjan (1985), Africa Sports (1986), Lokeren (1986-87), Anderlecht (1987-91), RC Strasbourg (1991-93), RWDM (1993-94), CCV Hydra (1995), Sacramento Scorpions (1996), and Perlis FA (1997-98).

Keshi captained the Nigeria team that won the Nations Cup in 1994 before narrowly missing out on a World Cup quarter-final place the same year.

After he left the Super Eagles, he moved to the USA to get professional training in Coaching. He has been a part of the coaching staff for the Nigerian national team.

He served as Head Coach for the Junior Eagles at the 2001 African Youth Championship which also served as qualification for the 2001 FIFA World Youth Championship, without success.

Apart from the Nigerian National Team, he also coached the Togolese and Malian national teams, surprisingly bringing the Togolese National Team to their first and only World Cup tournament, although he was replaced with German, Otto Pfister, just before the tournament.

After his replacement, Togo performed poorly and failed to move on to the knock–out stage in the 2006 African Cup of Nations in Egypt.

However, he achieved his dream to manage a team at the World Cup when he coached the Super Eagles to the World Cup in 2014.

Keshi’s coaching career had been riddled with series of issues with the NFF. Initially, when he became a coach, the NFF shied from appointing him Chief Coach of the Super Eagles, instead they made him assistant coach, even when he was the most qualified for the job.

Eventually, he was made Chief Coach at the insistence of the then NFF Chairman, Alhaji Maigari, at a time some NFF members wanted Nigeria to go foreign after Siasia’s failure.

His eventual appointment as Chief Coach proved to be a blessing as the Super Eagles went on to win the African Cup of Nations and even qualified for the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

One begins to wonder why the NFF was so opposed to Keshi being the Chief Coach. Were they afraid of his reputation as “Big Boss”? A reputation he gained during his days as Super Eagles Captain?

There is no doubt, that apart from Chairman Christian Chukwu, Keshi is the most celebrated Super Eagles captain. It is well known that he fought relentlessly for the welfare of the players in the Super Eagles, when he was captain. He had the welfare of his team mates at heart.

In 2001, the then Super Eagles coach, Bonfree Jo, was sacked due to his incompetence with the National team; his assistants, Stephen Keshi and Amodu Shuaibu replaced him and succeeded in delivering the World Cup ticket to Nigeria, at a time when all hopes seem lost.

However, during the 2002 Nations Cup competition in Mali, Keshi and Shuaibu were fired after a players’ revolt over issues of allowances. That decision, proved to be the beginning of the downfall in the Nigerian Football sector. A trend which was reversed when Keshi was appointed coach of the Super Eagles in November, 2011.

In 2008, after the NFF’s romance with Berti Voghts turned out a failure, Voghts was sacked and the NFF wanted an indigenous replacement. Keshi and some other indigenous coaches applied for the job. However, the NFF refused to release the results of the interview.

At this time, there was a plethora of reports of Keshi’s stubbornness and impudence, clear attempts to discredit Keshi by the NFF. Keshi however moved on to coach Mali’s national team. As soon as he left, the NFF named Amodu Shuaibu, as coach of the Super Eagles. Incidentally, he came second at the interview.

In 2010, after our defeat at the World Cup in South Africa, the NFF, entered into negotiations solely with Siasia for the job of Super Eagle’s coach. Following criticism, the job was advertised and candidates applied for the job and were shortlisted for interview.

At the interview, reports indicated, that Siasia didn’t do better than Keshi, who had the advantage of experience, as coach, at the senior level in soccer. The NFF, however, gave the job to Siasia, claiming they bowed to pressure from public opinion.

After Siasia’s failure, some NFF members, wanted to by-pass Keshi – who should have gotten the job, in the first place, instead of Siasia and go for a foreign coach ; but for the intervention of the NFF chairman, Alhaji Maigari, who preferred Keshi.

After Keshi’s appointment, as Super Eagles’ coach, the NFF, initially, cooperated well with Keshi; who gave them a blueprint for rebuilding the Super Eagles; which among other measures included the active development of the home -based players.

All went well till the June 2012 world cup and Nations’ cup qualifiers; the NFF, insisted that Keshi called -up the “more experienced” foreign -based professionals – tantamount to interference in the coach’s job.

Keshi, stood his ground, insisting that some of those so – called professionals, didn’t fit into his vision of the Super Eagles he was building . Keshi, prefers, highly skillful, fast- playing, mobile, polyvalent, footballers.

After the match against the Rwandans in kigali in February 2012, in which the Super Eagles narrowly escaped defeat, no thanks to the uninspiring display of the so called more ‘experienced ‘ foreign -based professionals, it was clear some of those professionals had outlived their usefulness to the Super Eagles.

Keshi, didn’t hesitate to wield the “big stick”. He invested in the more “modern,” foreign-based professionals, to the chagrin of the NFF. The NFF, however, didn’t relent in their dictations of what kinds of foreign-based professional players, Keshi should include in the new -look Super Eagles.

After the team’s qualification for the quarter-finals of Afcon 2013,Nigeria had been drawn to meet Ivory Coast, and the NFF, started booking the return flight tickets of the players. Apparently, they didn’t consider Keshi, capable of tinkering a side that could eliminate the Ivorians.

Two days before the final  match, against the Burkinabees, the NFF, reared its ugly head once again towards Keshi, this time, querying his assistant Sylvanus Okpala, for alleged misconduct against the NFF. To make matters worse, he was required to answer the query immediately.

After the Nations cup was won, and we all rejoiced, the unpatriotic Nigerians at the NFF, didn’t relent in their desires to frustrate Keshi out of his job. Unconfirmed reports indicated that, when the Super Eagles faced defeat in Calabar,  against Kenya, some NFF officials, were happy, hoping to ridicule Keshi afterwards and set the tone for his eventual sack.

Unfortunately, Nnamdi Odumadi’s 94th minute equaliser, cancelled out the ambitions.

The NFF continued in their efforts to frustrate Keshi by sacking some members of the coaching crew, including the tactician extraordinaire, Sylvanus “quicksilver” Okpala, and drastically reducing Keshi’s backroom staff, right in the middle of a crucial World cup campaign.

In the midst of the NFF’s efforts, Keshi went on to set a record in African Football by being the first African Coach to successfully qualify two African Nations (Nigeria and Togo) to the World Cup finals. He also helped Nigeria become the first country to achieve an African Cup of Nations trophy and World Cup qualification, both in 2013.

On 30 June, 2014, Keshi announced his resignation as Super Eagles Coach after the loss to France in a 2014 World Cup Round of 16 match but later reversed his decision after the NFF renewed his contract.

In July 2015, following Nigeria’s exit form the World Cup, Keshi’s contract with the Nigerian Football Federation expired and was not renewed.

Before his death, he had battled with personal challenges,topmost being the death of his wife

Keshi’s legacy is not one that will be forgotten soon, as in the words of the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo “His personal triumphs and pursuits as a world-class professional footballer inspired many young talented sportsmen and women around Africa to strive for excellence.”

“His great work with our youth and senior national teams unified our country and brought joy to many compatriots. His feats within and outside the country, are a rich legacy, which will continue to live on in our hearts.”

As the big boss goes home, there is need for a holistic review of sports administration and management. The cases of having uncelebrated fallen heroes is one too many.

Farewell to a great hero.