NFF fires Stephen Keshi

The executive board of the Nigerian football federation has relieved Stephen Keshi of his job. The ex international took over the mantle of the Super Eagles gaffer in December 2011 after the nation failed to book a ticket to the AFCON 2012 tournament.

Nigeria won the African cup of nations under his tutelage in a tournament that was hosted in South Africa last year. The team laboured to go beyond the group stage of the tournament after playing draw against Burkina Faso and Zambia.

Victor Moses scored a brace in their last group match against Ethiopia before the team went on to claim the African title for the first time in 19 years.

In June 2013, Nigeria participated at the FIFA Confederations cup that was held in Brazil. The team beat Tahiti by 6-1, but lost their games against Spain and Uruguay.

The NFF decided to appoint a technical adviser that will assist Keshi, but the former Togo manager, rejected the offer as he claimed that there was no need to get a foreign assistance.

Sylvanus Okpala that assisted him had been fired by the board due to financial and disciplinary issues.

                                    Where did Keshi go wrong?
Stephen Keshi was at loggerheads with the top players in the team. He accused players like Ikechukwu Uche, Peter Odemwingie and Obafemi Martins of indiscipline and lack of commitment.

Uche's case was more pronounced because of his scintillating form in the Spanish league, but he was ignored by Keshi.

The manager refused to update his knowledge and his lack of technical depth affected the team's performance against established sides like USA, Greece, Scotland and Ireland.

Keshi also led the home based team to the third place at CHAN 2014 event. He chose a 3rd choice goal keeper in a club as the national team's first choice at the mundial. He eventually conceded 8 goals.

His poor tactics also led him to replace an injured Elderson Echiejile with a midfielder.

Finally, his poor form in the AFCON 2015 qualifiers where his wards picked just 4 points from a possible 12 nailed his coffin.

The Super Eagles can still make it to Morocco 2015 if they beat Congo Brazaville and South Africa in November.