NFF President, Amaju Pinnick said on live TV that Stephen Keshi was never sacked but was leaving the country to improve himself
Amidst rancour and mixed thoughts toward the position of Stephen Keshi as Super Eagles Coach, President of the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, Amaju Pinnick has reconfirmed the two time AFCON winner as the chief in command of the senior national team.
Pinnick appeared on live television where he maintained the stance of the NFF regarding the matter
In the tell-it-all interview with a Channels TV correspondent, he spoke immensely on the players attitude and the way forward for Nigerian football
An apologetic Pinnick apologised to Nigerians for the country’s failure to reach the tournament in Equatorial Guinea come 2015
However, stating categorically that he did not have a hand in the return of the 52 year-old to the team
"The President of Nigeria did not have a say in the return of Keshi. I am a child of God, I don't want to lie.
"Keshi wasn't sacked. He had a pending contract. We said he was leaving the country to improve himself,’’ Pinnick clarified the dismissal of the coach after the first two games in the AFCON qualifier
"Amodu appealed to the Federation on Keshi's behalf....that was why he (keshi) returned.''
Keshi was said to have told the NFF that if they wanted a foreign coach, they could as well get foreign players to represent the country, to that claim, Pinnick said: "Keshi didn't lambast the NFF, I spoke with him yesterday... why should Keshi leave?
"Did keshi lose concentration because he was sacked and brought back? No."
Speaking on players’ attitude, he said:
"Did we lose AFCON because Keshi returned? I don't think so. A coach can tell players something, but they do otherwise.
"Players attitude, selection is something we want to work on.''
Pinnick assures Nigerians that the federation is doing its best to build a new team of passionate players who would change the face of the game in Nigeria.
"We are doing much towards having a new-look Super Eagles...there are players who are hungry, they are the ones we are looking for.’’
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