The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) expects to be able to confirm whether Stephen Keshi will stay as the country’s head coach or not in four days’ time, according to its president Amaju Pinnick.
Contract renewal talks between the football fraternity and the 53-year-old tactician has been deadlocked since the end of last summer’s World Cup in Brazil.
However, Pinnick insists the long-standing negotiations is drawing to its conclusion but has not been able to ascertain whether Keshi will accept the new NFF offer.
“I told the senate that within 10 days and by God’s grace within the next four days this thing (concerning Keshi’s decision on a new Super Eagles deal) would be completed. It’s either he is in or he is not in,” said Pinnick.
“So we are not saying 100% that it is Keshi, we are not saying that I can assure you 100%. It can be other persons. It can only be Keshi provided he accepts 100% the contract we have offered him. If he doesn’t accept it, then I can tell you right away that he is not going to be our coach.”
The NFF boss reiterated that the contract handed out to the Afcon 2013-winning coach was designed to cater to the needs of both parties and, as such took into cognizance the long-term vision of the football fraternity.
“Now if Keshi says for example that one clause in that contract is not good for him, it means he doesn’t want the job, so we can now open it and look for other coaches that are ready to coach Nigeria,” he stressed.
“Like I have said before, I will say again, if Keshi decided not to accept the contract, we are not going to change the contract for any other person we want to employ because to us what is good for the goose is good for the gander.
“We said let’s see if we can offer him a new contract and the contract has clause to protect us because just in the recent past somebody took us to CAS and won the case and it was huge on us.”
Pinnick added: “Whether we like it or not, Keshi is one of only two Africans who have won the Nations Cup as a player and a coach. So, we must accord him that respect. Is not as if we have any personal interest of bringing him back.”
Keshi’s assistant, Daniel Amokachi, will be in charge of the two friendly matches against Bolivia and South Africa later this month.
