The Nigeria Football Federation, (NFF) has denied in strong terms, any plan to hire a foreign technical assistant for the Super Eagles in what seem to be face saving gesture after its technical committee soft pedaled on the issue Wednesday night.
Ademola Olajire, the deputy director, communications of the NFF in a release he signed yesterday quotes the President of Federation, Alhaji Aminu Maigari, as being very disappointed at the mere thought of a suggestion to the effect that the football house was thinking in that direction.Read More after the cut...
“At no time did anyone in the NFF, whether myself, the Executive Committee or the Management, contemplated, suggested, recommended or even tried to impose the idea of a ‘foreign technical assistant,’ ‘foreign technical adviser,’ ‘expatriate assistant,’ or whatever, on Mr. Keshi.
“Some idle souls with fertile imagination invented this, sold it to their friends in the media and those guys took it up with aplomb. It is a shame. The NFF made it clear long ago that it would not impose anyone on Keshi, and that will remain so. It is even more shameful that a number of disco critics had gone further to hurl insults at the NFF for this speculation that we know nothing about,” Maigari said in Abuja.
While insisting that the present NFF administration deserved credit for the way it had stuck to indigenous coaches and for the successes it had recorded to regain Nigeria’s pride of place in the international game, the NFF President called on football-loving Nigerians at home and in the Diaspora to discountenance the silly campaign and treat it for what it is – idle speculation of opponents of Nigerian football.
“The present NFF has, in thick and thin, kept faith with indigenous coaches. It is the first administration in the history of the NFF to do so. And over time, we have pledged full support to Keshi and the squad for them to make a very big impact at the FIFA World Cup finals in Brazil.
“Nothing has changed. Our full support will be available to Keshi and the team at all times and since he has not mentioned the issue of a ‘foreign technical assistant’ or ‘expatriate expert,’ no one in the NFF is thinking along that line.”
