The Nation Newspaper

Tag: keshi

  • NFF TO KESHI: Submit only 40-man list

    NFF TO KESHI: Submit only 40-man list

    The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) have demanded a 40-man list from coach Stephen Keshi preparatory to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

    MTNFootball.com has learnt that the NFF technical committee asked Keshi to make available a list of players from which he will pick his final 23-man squad for the World Cup in June.

    “We expect the coach to send through this list at the latest after the CHAN,” a member of the committee informed MTNFootball.com

    It is expected that the core of this 40-man squad will come from the bulk of the players who featured at the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations and also qualified the country to a fifth World Cup.

    It is left to be seen if Keshi will recall skipper Joseph Yobo, who has seen limited action at Turkish club Fenerbache after he fell down the pecking order, and England-based striker Osaze Odemwingie.

    Osaze has had a major fallout with Keshi after he was sensationally overlooked for the 2013 AFCON.

    It would also be interesting to see some of the other players Keshi is now considering for the tournament.

    Ukraine-based midfielder Lukman Haruna, Chinedu Obasi, Raheem Lawal and Joel Obi are believed to be among those to be given a chance to fight for a place on the flight to Brazil.

    Nigeria’s World Cup training camp will open on May 25 most likely in Keshi’s preferred choice.

    They take on Mexico on March 5 in a warm-up match in the United States of America.

  • Big Boss blames ‘stage fright’ for loss

    Big Boss blames ‘stage fright’ for loss

    Super Eagles coach, Stephen Keshi has voiced his sentiments following his side’s 1-2 loss to Mali in their opening game of the 2014 African Nations Championship (Chan) in South Africa.

    Goals from Mali’s Abdoulaye Sissoko and Adama Traore rendered Gbolahan Salami’s header purely Academic on Saturday and meant Nigeria would basically need to win their final two preliminary fixtures against Mozambique and South Africa to progress to the knockout stages of the competition.

    Speaking to the media at the post-game press conference, Keshi attempted to explain the reasons behind the loss.

    “I was expecting this kind of result because of the anxiety that comes with this kind of championship for players that have not been exposed to tournaments like this,” he said.

    The Nigerian trainer said his charges only came to terms with the flow of the game when the damage had already been done.

    “We did not play our game. We only started playing well in the last five to 10 minutes and that was too late.

    “At the half time break, I asked them to feel free and express themselves and I don’t know if that worked because we still lost the game,” he revealed.

    Expectations among Nigerian fans were never at the rafters after key components of the squad like Godfrey Oboabona, Sunday Mba, Gabriel Rueben and Gomo Onduku recently joined European clubs which basically rendered them ineligible for the competition.

    The Nigerian league has been on hiatus since October 2013 and Keshi inferred that this may have been responsible for his charges’ lack of sharpness.

    “I think this is a perfect opportunity for home-based players to move forward and get exposure. If it’s about the league of each country, we have been out of action for like four months and we have had these players for only three weeks, but I don’t know if that was responsible for today,” he said.

    Keshi will now hope his players improve rapidly ahead of their second game against Mozambique.

  • World Cup: NFF asks Keshi to submit 40-man list

    World Cup: NFF asks Keshi to submit 40-man list

    The Nigeria Football Federation has demanded a 40-man list from Stephen Keshi preparatory to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
    MTNFootball.com gathered that the NFF technical committee asked Keshi to make available a list of players from which he will pick his final 23-man squad for the World Cup in June.
    “We expect the coach to send through this list at the latest after the CHAN,” a member of the committee informed MTNFootball.com
    It is expected that the core of this 40-man squad will come from the bulk of the players who featured at the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations and also qualified the country to a fifth World Cup.
    It is left to be seen if Keshi will recall skipper Joseph Yobo, who has seen limited action at Turkish club Fenerbache after he fell down the pecking order, and England-based striker Osaze Odemwingie.
    Osaze had a major fallout with Keshi after he was sensationally overlooked for the 2013 AFCON.
    It would also be interesting to see some of the other players Keshi is now considering for the tournament.
    Ukraine-based midfielder Lukman Haruna, Chinedu Obasi, Raheem Lawal and Joel Obi are believed to be among those that will be given a chance to fight for a place on the flight to Brazil.

  • CHAN defeat expected – Keshi

    CHAN defeat expected – Keshi

    Super Eagles coach, Stephen Keshi, has said he was not surprised his team of inexperienced players fell 2-1 to Mali in Saturday’s opening CHAN game.
    The Malians recorded their first-ever win against Nigeria at full international level, defeating their West African rivals 2-1 in Cape Town on Saturday.
    “I was expecting this kind of result because of the anxiety that comes with this kind of championship for players that have not been exposed to tournaments like this,”MTNFootball.com quoted Keshi as saying after the game.
    “Well what happened was that we did not play our game. We only started playing in the last 5 to 10 minutes and that was too late.
    “In the half time break, I asked them to feel free and express themselves and I don’t know if that worked because we still lost the game.”
    Keshi lamented that the Nigerian league has ended four months ago.
    “I think this is a perfect opportunity for home-based players to move forward and get exposure. If it’s about the league of each country, we have been out of action for like four months and we have had these players for only three weeks, but I don’t know if that was responsible for today,” he said.
    Mali coach Djibril Drame said he was delighted to edge past the African champions.
    “It’s a joy and pride we feel today because we have just beaten the Africa champions,” he said.
    “It was not an easy game. First matches are very important. Tactically, we were very well placed after watching tapes of how the Nigerians play, we ensured that our tactics changed and it worked for us.”
    He said his team will now focus on next game against group leaders South Africa, who beat Mozambique 3-1 also on Saturday.

  • Keshi stunned by Mba transfer saga

    Keshi stunned by Mba transfer saga

    Head coach of the Nigeria national team, Stephen Keshi has exclusively told supersport.com that he was hurt over accusations that he tried to ruin the career of midfielder, Sunday Mba.

    It was reported in some sections of the media that Keshi allegedly tried to scuttle Mba’s move to the French club by asking for a percentage of the midfielder’s transfer fee to CA Bastia.

    Keshi has now revealed that he was extremely pained at the accusations explaining that “there was no iota of truth about such reports.”

    “I was shocked when I first heard I was demanding for money over the transfer of Mba. There was no truth about such reports. I never did anything yet they claimed I was demanding for half of the transfer fee,” he said.

    Quizzed on why he did not seek redress over his reputation being dragged in the mud, Keshi said it wasn’t necessary.

    “No, no, no. It wasn’t necessary (to sue). Truth will always come to light.

    “I am a father to the boys (Super Eagles players). I will help them to grow.

    “ However, I never get involved when they discuss contract issues with their clubs,” he said.

    Mba completed his switch to CA Bastia on January 1 but has yet to make his competitive debut for Les Noirs.

  • BRAZIL 2014 FIFA WORLD CUP: Keshi to submit programme next month

    BRAZIL 2014 FIFA WORLD CUP: Keshi to submit programme next month

    Super Eagles’ Head Coach Stephen Keshi has told Sportinglife that he intends to submit his 2014 World cup programme in the second week of February.

    The Big Boss who spoke exclusively to us in Abuja on Tuesday before leading his team to South Africa said the program intends to begin fully in March 2014 “I had to delay the submission of the program until after the Africa Championship holding in South Africa. Immediately the Championship ends in the first week of February, I will submit my program to my employer’s, the NFF. The program is ready and we intend to begin preparation in March. I had to delay its released to enable me see if there would some home based players that would excel in the Africa Championship so that we would include them in the team. Because, as I am submitting the program, the team list would be included alongside”.

    When probed further to let us into the team list, the Big Boss said “what again do you want to know in the team list , I don’t intend adding any other player from what I have been using for the qualifiers. The boys have started understanding themselves and the cohesion is very noticeable, so I don’t want to truncate that by making further invitations”

    The former Togo National Head Coach insisted that he is not sticking out his neck on winning the CHAN trophy, but promised to take each match as they come.

  • CHAN 2014: No target for Keshi, says NFF

    CHAN 2014: No target for Keshi, says NFF

    NFF Technical Committee Chairman, Christopher Green, has insisted that no one would give the Super Eagles technical crew a target at the forthcoming Africa Championships for home based players, but said that Stephen Keshi and his boys have all it takes to win the championship

    Speaking in Abuja, the NFF executive committee member said “it doesn’t warrant giving Stephen Keshi a target at the CHAN tournament holding in South Africa. One thing that is obvious is that Keshi has done very well with the team within a space of one month. We have also seen that he is very determined to make a maximum impact in the championship, so we need to encourage him. The boys on their parts, would not want to disappoint the Coach and the country, because they know that if they play well in this championship, they can make it to the World cup, so they would have to put in their best”.

    Continuing, the Rivers State FA Chairman said “that makes it very good for us as everyone would want to strive to write his name in gold”.

    He promised that the NFF would give the team all the support to ensure that they excel at the Africa Championships and World Cup proper in Brazil later in the year .

  • ETHIOPIA FRIENDLY: Keshi salutes NFF

    ETHIOPIA FRIENDLY: Keshi salutes NFF

    Super Eagles gaffer Stephen Keshi has appreciated the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) for organising the international friendly match between his team and the Walya Antelopes of Ethiopia.

    The match which was played at the Abuja National Stadium on Saturday, ended 2-1 in favour of the Super Eagles.

    Keshi, who spoke after the game, said: “I’m very happy with my employers, the NFF for organising the match for us at a very short notice. I really appreciate them. The match has given us the opportunity to take a very close look at our boys in a very serious match situation. You can see that the Ethiopians are a very experienced side. They have been together for long.

    “This was exactly the same team that we played at both the African Nations Cup and the World Cup qualifiers last year, and if our three weeks’ team who were playing under various pressures here at home for the first time can hold them, then, we can say we are heading somewhere.”

    Continuing, the Big Boss said: “I will say I’m impressed with the performance of our boys. They were playing together for the first time, and playing under pressure to impress me, impress the crowd, impress the media and impress everybody. It should be like that, and we are optimistic that with time we will improve”.

    He said that he does not have a team yet, that they are still working towards perfection.

    “This is not a team yet, we are still working. I am not going to tell you that we are going to win the African Championship now, because there is no way you can put a winning team together in three weeks. Even if you are a magician, you cannot do it. What you see us play in that match was put together in 24 hours, so we are moving ahead, and there is no cause for alarm,” the former Nigeria international said.

    He further revealed that he does not know his starting line up yet, as that would unfold as the championship gets underway.

  • 2014 CHAN: ‘Keshi’s resilience will help Eagles soar’

    2014 CHAN: ‘Keshi’s resilience will help Eagles soar’

    An ex-international, Waidi Akanni, on Sunday said coach Stephen Keshi’s fighting spirit would spur the Super Eagles to greater heights at the Championship of Africa Nations (CHAN) in South Africa.

    Akanni, a former Green Eagles defender in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos, said the Home-based Eagles had what it takes to win the championship. He added that he was optimistic that the team would go far in the tournament based on their performance at the friendly match against the Walya Antelope of Ethiopia on Saturday in Abuja.

    “I think the boys gave a good account of themselves, they won 2-1, which is not bad; they will get better. Playing with the Ethiopia side gives us an idea of what to expect at the tournament.

    “The tournament will help Keshi to pick more of the boys for his World Cup team too. Keshi’s winning spirit will help the team. I expect him to pick the best players for the World Cup,” Akanni said.

    He said that with the World Cup near, many of the players would put in their best to make the final list to Brazil.

    NAN reports that Eagles will confront host South Africa in Group A alongside Mail and Mozambique in Cape Town.

  • We won’t judge Keshi by CHAN result — NFF

    We won’t judge Keshi by CHAN result — NFF

    The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has confirmed that Super Eagles’ head coach, Stephen Keshi will lead the country to the Brazil 2014 World Cup, irrespective of Nigeria’s outing at the African Nations Championship (CHAN) slated for South Africa.

    Keshi qualified the Eagles to the World Cup in November last year with a 4-1 aggregate win over the Walya Antelopes of Ethiopia, but calls for a foreign manager to work with the Big Boss have sometimes been made in the local media.

    Although the NFF has on many occasions denied that it has such intention, there is a lingering suspicion that the calls for an expatriate to assist Keshi might have official backing.

    The fate of Shaibu Amodu as Super Eagles manager is a case in point. Amodu qualified Nigeria for the 2002 World Cup finals but was axed after a third place finish at the African Cup of Nations in Mali, held earlier in the same year.

    Keshi also booked a World Cup ticket for then underdogs Togo to the 2006 World Cup but was unable to lead the team to Germany after the West Africans’ poor display at Egypt 2006, exiting the competition in the first round.

    Against this backdrop, SportingLife contacted NFF Technical and Development Committee chairman, Christopher Green, who confirmed that the Football House would not judge Keshi by the CHAN result, and that the Big Boss is a sure bet to lead the Eagles to the World Cup.

    “I believe this will put an end to the rumour making the rounds that the NFF is planning to hire a foreign coach. We don’t have such in our agenda at all.

    “We are supporting Keshi all the way. We won’t use the CHAN result to determine his fate regarding the Brazil 2014 World Cup.

    “That is the reason why we have not given him any target at CHAN. It is our first outing and we know it may not be that easy.

    “We want the team to have a meaningful impact in South Africa. Even if they are unable to win the title they should ensure that Nigeria’s image is not soiled at all,” Barrister Green told SportingLife.