The National Sports Commission
(NSC) on Tuesday confirmed that Super Eagles’ coach Stephen
Keshi has agreed to
resume work preparatory to Nigeria’s 2015 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON)
qualifiers.
A statement in Abuja by Patrick
Omorodion, the Special Adviser on Media to the NSC Chairman, Tammy
Danagogo, said Keshi’s decision was based on Danagogo’s
intervention.
It said the intervention by
Danagogo, who is also the Sports Minister, followed the prolonged negotiation
between Keshi and the Nigeria Football Association (NFA).
“Keshi has agreed to carry on
with the job because of his love for the team Super Eagles, the country Nigeria
and because of my intervention.
“My intervention was however
necessitated by the prolonged negotiation between him and the NFA.
“So, he will go on with his job
as Super Eagles’ coach while the negotiation continues and the contract finally
approved and signed,’’ Danagogo was quoted as saying.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)
reports that Emmanuel Ado, an aide of Keshi, had on
Monday revealed the existence of the agreement between the Minister and the
coach.
He had said Keshi agreed to
work with the team ahead of Nigeria’s opening Group A matches against Congo and
South Africa in the qualifiers.
The matches are slated for
Sept. 6 at home in Calabar against Congo, and Sept. 10 away in South
Africa.
NAN reports that Keshi’s
two-and-a-half-year contract had expired after the 2014 FIFA World Cup in
Brazil.
Hence, renewal talks had become
necessary and urgent in view of Super Eagles’ qualifying matches scheduled for
Sept. 6 to Nov. 19.
But
the wrangling among board members of the NFA had kept the issues surrounding
the contract renewal to remain unresolved until Danagogo stepped in.
Nigeria
had been drawn alongside South Africa, Congo and Sudan in the qualifiers for
the 2015 AFCON slated to hold in Morocco next January.
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