The axe which had been dangling over the head of Stephen Keshi for a while finally landed on him over the weekend when the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) announced that they were parting company with him due to a 'lack of commitment' on his part to attain the objectives of the Federation as was set out when he was employed.
It was plain the marriage between Keshi and the NFF was one of convenience and as soon as they felt he was dispensable, they cut him loose. The constant battles between Keshi and the NFF was one that turned into a circus show. We should not be surprised though, if there is another twist in the drama as things continue to unravel.
There are hints that Keshi could go to the Court of Arbitration for Sport to challenge his sacking. If he wins, he could be forced back into a job where his services are no longer wanted. What it means is that the frosty relationship between both parties could get more nasty as the NFF could seek to do all it can to undermine the Big Boss while carrying out his duties.
It is weird though, that barely 3 months of taking charge of the Super Eagles, a disciplinary committee has been able to get enough facts to reach a conclusion that Keshi was not committed to his job and thus, recommend his sack.
What led the NFF to set up this committee? Or was it in place already before news broke that Keshi's name turned up in a list of candidates applying for the Ivory Coast job? And if it was set up after the news broke, then shouldn't we be suspicious that he is being fired for perceived disloyalty to the NFF rather than for lack of commitment?
Anyone with half a brain knows that the time frame with which Keshi has been in charge since he was re-appointed as Super Eagles Coach in April is not enough to reach such a conclusion since there was no major act of misconduct on Keshi's part. Apparently, Keshi's misdemeanours in the last African Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers have been revisited and Keshi, without the protection of the powers that be in the Presidency any longer may have suffered some form of payback.
Have we heard the last of this NFF-Keshi saga? Don't bet on it.
Meanwhile, the NFF quickly announced the appointment of Shaibu Amodu as interim coach pending the appointment of a permanent replacement for Keshi. The next set of AFCON qualifiers come up in September. Nigeria will be taking on Tanzania away from home. Knowing the NFF's antecedents, a permanent replacement for Keshi will not be coming any time soon.
Who are the potential suitors to replace Stephen Keshi on a permanent basis? We should note however, that Nigeria at this point in time lacks top coaches with the clout of Keshi. We do have a few we can recycle however.
The logical replacement for Keshi may be one of Daniel Amokachi, Augustine Eguavoen, Christian Chukwu, Sunday Oliseh or Samson Siasia. With the exception of Oliseh, all have had stints with the Super Eagles as manager with varying degrees of failure and success. Siasia is in charge of the Olympic team currently and might not wish to have any distractions as he would want to prepare adequately and focus on qualifying for the Olympics in Rio next year. Unless of course, the NFF elect to 'promote' him.
Amokachi was Keshi's assistant in the glory days of Keshi's reign and could be one of the favourites for the job. However, apart from being Keshi's assistant, It's difficult to see what Amokachi brings to the table. Could be more of the same from the Keshi era. A more of the same we hardly need.
Christian Chukwu and Augustine Eguavoen failed to take the Super Eagles to new heights after leading the Super Eagles to creditable bronze medals at the AFCON finals in 2004 and 2006 respectively.
Chukwu was sacked for failing to lead Nigeria to the World Cup finals in Germany in 2006 while Eguavoen who was Chukwu's replacement, although led Nigeria to third place at the AFCON finals in 2006, was also fired after a string of poor results after taking over from Berti Vogts who was shown the exit door for over seeing one of Nigeria's most dismal performances in AFCON finals history.
Sunday Oliseh could be the breath of fresh air Nigeria football needs but his inexperience at this level could prove costly even though he has a UEFA Pro licence. Nigeria cannot afford to miss out on another AFCON tournament for a consecutive time.
Will the NFF be willing to take a gamble on Oliseh as recent reports suggest? Or will they go for a foreign manager as Bonfrere Jo advised? Whatever their decision is, they need to get this right so that we can move on. We don't play Egypt until next year. It's more than enough time for them to sort out this mess.
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