Keshi may get a query on return

                                          Super Eagles coach, Stephen Keshi

Indications are very strong that the Nigeria Football Federation officials will not receive the Super Eagles coach Stephen Keshi with very open arms on his return from the USA. The PUNCH learnt on authority that the officials are highly piqued at the manner the coach left the country for holidays.


A member of the Federation who spoke with our correspondent on the condition of anonymity said that the Federation would not watch in silence over what was termed as “disregard for office” which the coach allegedly adopted. Keshi was said to have applied for a short leave but travelled immediately after sending in the application without waiting for a reply to his memo.

The official told us, “What he did was too insulting; it was like there was no authority over him. Every office all over the world has work ethics and everyone in any organisation abides by such rules.

“There’s no establishment in the world where somebody just walks through the door and claims he is on leave without any approval from his superiors. If a man applies for leave, it makes common sense that he gets a reply to his written request or get some form of approval before proceeding on such leave. But in Keshi’s case he just sent in a request and left.

“It is not my duty to issue a query to any coach under the NFF but I don’t think this one can pass just like that. We have to conduct ourselves properly and professionally as we hear them say every day.”

The official claimed that the issue of Keshi’s absence at the Technical Committee’s meeting to discuss his squad for the May/June matches was not meant to hunt him as the meeting had been fixed before he travelled. He was expected to be around for the meeting before making any trip outside the country.

The matter aggravated because the coach returned to the country to receive his car gifts from national team sponsors Globacom and left immediately just before the meeting held in Abuja. The national teams’ backroom staff were subsequently cut from 17 each to nine persons. Some of the dropped staff members are still hopeful of getting recall as they have not been issued any letter by the NFF even though the football body insists it is standing by its decisions.