Reasons Why Keshi Was Sacked

 

Stephen Keshi was sacked from the Nigeria job on Thursday morning where he has held an interim coaching job since September despite his team’s 3-1 defeat of Sudan a few hours before.
In his place, Amodu Shaibu, a former national team trainer, has been handed the job of leading the Super Eagles to their remaining 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers next month before a foreign technical adviser will be hired.

Keshi was told to go after the African champions could only muster four points from four matches in the qualifiers thereby putting in jeopardy the nation’s quest to defend the title won last year in South Africa.
The 52-year-old, who also took Nigeria to the second round of the World Cup in Brazil, was kicked out alongside his assistants Daniel Amokachi and Ike Shorunmu. Continue....


Goal explains some of the reasons that led to Keshi’s downfall and his eventual  sack as Eagles’ head coach.
ARROGANCE
One of the factors that led to the sack of Keshi was his desire to exert his authority as the head coach of the Eagles without due recourse to other peoples’ opinion. It was the sole factor former coach Samson Siasia failed as boss when he considered himself to be above board and thus took decisions unilaterally without considering whose horse is gored. It was on this premise that Siasia was asked to go and that a more humane manager would be found. The one that would know how to manage the ego of his players without necessarily clashing with them


SACRIFICING MERIT FOR MEDIOCRITY
Another sin of Keshi was handing call ups to players that were of no relevance to the national team. Although his sticking to these players proved to be a worthy venture in some cases, but this ensured lack of competition for shirts became the order of the day. Keshi picked avoidable quarrels with some of his best legs and called up those that were not up to scratch as their replacements.
This ensured that he kept fielding Emmanuel Emenike, who last scored for Nigeria in October 2013, while ignoring more in-form strikers like Ikechukwu Uche and Obafemi Martins ahead of the World Cup. There were also questionable call ups for Shola Ameobi, Reuben Gabriel and Michael Uchebo going to the World Cup.

ANGRY FANS PROTEST
Public anger against Keshi reached unprecedented heights after the Eagles’ defeat in Khartoum to Sudan. Fans saw a team that lacked the zeal to win and took it out on the coaching crew that was seen as lacking in technical depth. When the team returned from Sudan, they were booed at the Abuja airport and almost attacked physically but for security agents.

  

DELAYED DECISION
KESHI’S RECORD WITH EAGLES
THE WAY FORWARD
The NFF has taken the best decision possible based on the prevalent situation to ask Keshi and his assistants to go while giving room to another set with different sense of approach to tinker the team for the next two matches.
Nigerians won’t forgive the present board of the NFF if the Eagles are unable to defend the trophy won last year at Morocco 2015 and all efforts must be geared towards ensuring that Nigeria defeat Congo in Brazzaville and also beat South Africa comfortably in Uyo next month to ensure that a ticket to Morocco is assured.

Culled From: Goal