28th October, 2010
The newly reinstated Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, made an absurd decision in naming Austin Okocha and Victor Ikpeba in the technical committee that would interview their senior, Stephen Keshi and team-mate, Samson Siasia, for the Super Eagles coaching job.
The NFF came up with the proposed interview for the appointment of a substantive coach for the senior national team, but included Okocha and Ikpeba who have not even gone into coaching in the list of technocrats that would determine the fate of Keshi and Siasia.
Keshi has coached the Togolese and Malian national teams, while Siasia has led Nigeria to FIFA World Youth Championship and the Olympics, a feat that neither Okocha nor Ikpeba who recently quit active football can match.
The board of the NFF rose from its first meeting yesterday in Abuja, after a court action instituted by the Association of Professional Footballers led by Harrison Jalla was withdrawn, with the announcement that it has decided to shortlist Samson Siasia and Stephen Keshi for the Eagles’ job.
The board directed that Siasia and Keshi will face an interview panel on 4 November by the NFF’s Technical Committee, which includes former team-mates Austin Okocha, Garba Lawal and Victor Ikpeba, as well as former coaches Adegboyega Onigbinde and Christian Chukwu.
Both men are expected to face the committee after November 2 when it is inaugurated.
Other members of the committee are Chris Green, chairman, Felix Anyansi-Agwu, vice chairman, Deji Tinubu, Paul Bassey, Austin Elumelu, and Emmanuel Obi, secretary. The committee will recommend one of the two men to the board for appointment as coach.