Sports
Where Did Keshi Go Wrong?
It was only a year and a half
that Keshi was a national hero after leading Nigeria to a third AFCON title, but he has now been shown the exit door.
Where did the ‘Big Boss’ get it so wrong that he is now a zero to millions of those who admired him just a few months ago.
Arrogance and a larger-than-life ego
Keshi has always been an arrogant person even during his playing days and that probably explains his nickname ‘Big Boss’.
It was that arrogance that denied him the Eagles top job at the first try against fans favourite Samson Siasia in 2010.
And it was such grandstanding that meant he refused superior assistance when he was offered prior to the World Cup in Brazil.
His unguarded utterances, from claims of other offers to telling fans to shut up if they won’t support his team, exposed his immaturity.
Any wonder then he did not take kindly to any form of criticism.
Insubordination
He did not respect his employers because his many “very powerful friends” always assured him his job was safe.
His resignation moments after winning the AFCON last year earned him easy access to the country’s President as well as several top government officials.
There are those who maintain that the coach knew more than he said in public about the infamous appearance fee row at Brazil 2014 as well as the bonus saga that almost caused the country to be walked over at last year’s FIFA Confederations Cup.
And it is widely believed that he had a hand in the leadership tussle that later over took Nigerian football as it was said he made it clear to some big guns he was no longer willing to work with some certain officials.
If you were a member of the new NFF executive committee, would you not be wary of working with such a coach?
Team selection, call-ups highly questionable
Even the market woman agreed that Keshi was often not spot-on about his team selection and call-ups to the national team.
Many players had no business with the country’s team, but Keshi saw it differently.
The result was that he gave many mediocre players a decent run in his team and that way raised serious questions about his competence and judgment.
He lost his dressing room
The latest evidence that he was no longer in control of his dressing room was his public spat with star striker Emmanuel Emenike, who even dared the coach to drop him if he believed he was the problem of the team.
The other players who tested his managerial capabilities were Joseph Yobo, Osaze Odemwingie and Ikechukwu Uche, and in these instances he was found wanting.
Tactics? Mr Keshi does not have a clue
The less said about this, the better because Mr Keshi could not readily explain what his game plans were.
Football is no longer a sport where 22 young men try to bust their guts in 90 minutes of action. There is a lot of science that goes in preparing the team and there is also a lot of deep thinking for you to outwit the other team from the bench.
Who were his assistants?
How much help did he enjoy from his assistants and what was the quality of such assistance?
You are only as good as your backroom staff and obviously he did not get the desired help from those who ought to do so.
His luck finally ran out
Nigeria was lucky to win the Nations Cup. But such luck cannot last forever and when it did, it was all there to see that Keshi and his Eagles were riding on Mother Luck for most of three years and sooner or later, she was going to desert them.
Audu writes for African Football.Com
Samm Audu
Hon Dike who spoke with sports journalists shortly after the flag off the 2024 edition of Chairman’s Football Unity Tournament at Botem Tai in Tai LGA, said the tournament is an annual event to promote peace and unity in Tai as well identify budding talents in the area for global competition.
The opening ceremony of the tournament was more like a carnival was witnessed by huge crowd including prominent indigenes of Ogoni Kingdom, sports lovers and people from all works of life.
The LGA boss revealed that special sports committee will be setup in the area to work out modalities to strengthen sports development in Tai.
He advised the participants in the tournament from various wards in the LGA to play the game by the rules and conduct themselves in a peaceful and orderly manner and use the opportunity to showcase their talents.
Hon Dike further disclosed that his administration will also give priority attention to skills development among the youth to enhance their human capacity and promote enterprise development in the area.
Earlier in his address the Chairman of Tai LGA Football Council, Elder Wisdom Gorgor said the annual football competition has been a unifying factor in Tai LGA that need to be sustained to forge more unity and development in the area.
He urged the participants to see the competition as an opportunity to embrace football as a full career and earn sustainable livelihood.
Elder Gorgor who commended the Chairman of Tai LGA, Hon Dike for his visionary leadership and tremendous development achievements recorded in the LGA under his administration, appealled to the Chairman to build a Mini Sports Stadium in the area to promote sporting activities.
The training was held at the Sani Abacha Stadium Indoor Basketball Court in Kano last Saturday.
According to the Vice President and Head of NBA Nigeria, Gbemisola Abudu, the event was part of the league’s commitment to growing broader basketball ecosystem in Nigeria and making the game more accessible across the country.
“Our first Jr. NBA clinic in Kano speaks to our commitment to growing the game in Nigeria and creating more opportunities for boys and girls to learn and play the game,” Abudu said.
“Nigeria has a rich basketball history and abundance of talent, which is evident every time you watch an NBA game. We look forward to continuing to engage with basketball stakeholders, business leaders and members of the community to further the game’s reach and impact on young people around the country,” she added.
The 2024 basketball initiative clinics of NBA Nigeria also included the league’s inaugural Jr. NBA elite camp for 150 boys and age-16 girls held at the American International School in Lagos in July.
Others include the NBA’s building of 1,000 courts in Africa over the next decade, Nigeria’s Festival Coins and Salubata named the top two winning businesses at NBA Africa Triple-Double Accelerator’s inaugural Demo Day in New York City held last September, and the third edition of “NBA Meets Art,” a curated installation celebrating basketball through the lens of Nigerian art and culture as part of West Africa’s premier art fair Art X Lagos, held in November.
Central to this vision is the federation’s investment in capacity building, evident in the just-concluded one-week Level 1 Badminton World Federation (BWF) Coaching Course, which marked a significant milestone for Nigerian badminton.
Held in Abuja, the course brought together 13 young coaches from across Nigeria. The last time such a course was held in the country was in 2017, making this a historic and transformative step.
The training was facilitated by the Badminton Confederation of Africa (BCA) in partnership with the Badminton Federation of Nigeria (BFN) and conducted by Dr. Ahmed Radah, the BCA Development Manager.
Radah, impressed by the talent he witnessed, praised Nigeria’s potential.
“Nigeria is blessed with immense talent and a strong badminton tradition. I believe this country has what it takes to dominate on the global stage,” he remarked.