President of the Nigeria Football Federation Alhaji Aminu Maigari has allayed fears over the fate of Super Eagles coach, Stephen Keshi, declaring that “Keshi will take the Eagles to the 2014 World Cup.”
Speaking in Lagos Tuesday, soon after he was honoured with the 2013Sports Administrator of the Year Award, Maigari wondered where stories about the supposedly uncertain state of Keshi’s employment were emanating from.
“I don’t know who is cooking up these stories. I think, with great apologies to you guys in the media, these stories are coming from the press because Keshi and I have not sat down to discuss anything like that.”
He said, categorically, “There is no question about it. Keshi will lead the Eagles to the World Cup as there is no plan to engage any other coach. Keshi has not told me he needs an assistant or he needs help. He is taking us to the World Cup because he is a very good coach.”
In a separate interview with a radio station in Lagos, chairman of the NFF Technical Committee, Chris Green maintained that Stephen Keshi will lead the country to Brazil 2014.
“Keshi has qualified us for the World Cup and that simply means Keshi would take us to the World Cup.
“We are satisfied with the jobs and results Keshi has produced. And for those insinuating for a foreign technical adviser or whatever they call it, it would not affect coach Stephen Keshi because he remains our head coach and he will lead the team to the World Cup.”
Keshi himself started the controversy when he said that he would not be shocked if they sacked him before the World Cup.
He was given the boot when he assisted Shuaibu Amodu to qualify Nigeria for the 2002 World Cup.
He also was not in charge of Togo to the 2006 World Cup even after he upset the form books to guide the little West African country to Germany 2006.