There is no getting around it now. Stephen Keshi’s cycle as coach of the Super Eagles has come to an end. There is no anger, there is no bitterness. There is just… nothing. The final whistle in Khartoum was a knell that rung hollow in Nigerian hearts.
When Keshi became the trustee of Nigeria’s footballing hopes and dreams, the day was bleak. The Big Boss overhauled a team that had failed to qualify for the 2012 Cup of Nations, installing youth and injecting vitality. A policy of openness saw the likes of Ogenyi Onazi, Kenneth Omeruo, Godfrey Oboabona and Sunday Mba carve out a niche for themselves in the Super Eagles.
The danger with success though, especially when unexpected, is that it can cause the subject to parody himself. The fact that anyone could play for the Super Eagles, a boon and motivation for players to work hard, became in the long run a tremendous problem. Needing a game-changing impact in the Municipal Stadium, the ineffectual Gbolahan Salami was withdrawn and on came Sunday Emmanuel of obscure Grodig, making his debut for the national team.
Keshi has gambled on his popularity many times and won. This time, it has come back to bite him. His arrogant dismissal of the form of Obafemi Martins for example, who has hit the 15-goal mark in Major League Soccer, was laughable. Age can only mitigate against ability when there are credible alternatives; alas in the same breath, the Afcon-winning manager dismissed one such alternative: the prodigiously talented Kelechi Iheanacho.
His constant bickering with Ikechukwu Uche in the press has gotten embarrassing very quickly, like a public and messy break-up between lovers. While it is unclear which of them is speaking the truth, it is telling that Keshi only got tough with Uche after triumphing in the Afcon in 2013. Before then, there had been little indication of any sort of rift between them, and indeed the Villarreal man top-scored to qualify the Super Eagles for the tournament in the first place.
It is almost as though that historic moment convinced the former Afcon-winning captain of the infallibility of his methods. In his hubris, he has ploughed onward on that course, alienating many and dividing opinions everywhere. Now, we are back where we started: with one point from its first three games, the defending African champions are on the verge of elimination.
There is no getting around it now. Stephen Keshi’s cycle as coach of the Super Eagles has come to an end. There is no anger, there is no bitterness. There is just… nothing. The final whistle in Khartoum was a knell that rung hollow in Nigerian hearts.
When Keshi became the trustee of Nigeria’s footballing hopes and dreams, the day was bleak. The Big Boss overhauled a team that had failed to qualify for the 2012 Cup of Nations, installing youth and injecting vitality. A policy of openness saw the likes of Ogenyi Onazi, Kenneth Omeruo, Godfrey Oboabona and Sunday Mba carve out a niche for themselves in the Super Eagles.
The danger with success though, especially when unexpected, is that it can cause the subject to parody himself. The fact that anyone could play for the Super Eagles, a boon and motivation for players to work hard, became in the long run a tremendous problem. Needing a game-changing impact in the Municipal Stadium, the ineffectual Gbolahan Salami was withdrawn and on came Sunday Emmanuel of obscure Grodig, making his debut for the national team.
Keshi has gambled on his popularity many times and won. This time, it has come back to bite him. His arrogant dismissal of the form of Obafemi Martins for example, who has hit the 15-goal mark in Major League Soccer, was laughable. Age can only mitigate against ability when there are credible alternatives; alas in the same breath, the Afcon-winning manager dismissed one such alternative: the prodigiously talented Kelechi Iheanacho.
His constant bickering with Ikechukwu Uche in the press has gotten embarrassing very quickly, like a public and messy break-up between lovers. While it is unclear which of them is speaking the truth, it is telling that Keshi only got tough with Uche after triumphing in the Afcon in 2013. Before then, there had been little indication of any sort of rift between them, and indeed the Villarreal man top-scored to qualify the Super Eagles for the tournament in the first place.
It is almost as though that historic moment convinced the former Afcon-winning captain of the infallibility of his methods. In his hubris, he has ploughed onward on that course, alienating many and dividing opinions everywhere. Now, we are back where we started: with one point from its first three games, the defending African champIt is unclear what to do with Keshi now.
He is not under any contract or obligation to the NFF, and can rightly board a plane straight to the USA, where his family resides. There is however a return fixture in four days, and one which the Super Eagles absolutely must win. Does the NFF officially relieve him, and seek to (improbably) get a new coach within four days? Or do they stick with him and possibly damn the Super Eagles? Whichever choice is made, Nigeria do not get a good deal.
In Pointe-Noire, South Africa showed the daring and swagger befitting champions as they swatted aside the Republic of Congo to move into top spot in Group A. It is a result that Nigeria must replicate if it is to have any chance at all of playing in Morocco next year. There is no more margin for error, and whoever takes the national team forward must get it right, and do so fast.
Somewhere in Nigeria, Amodu Shuaibu is rubbing his hands and waiting for his phone to ring. It would take a brave man to bet against him now.
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