keshi reacts to sack

Less than 24 hours after he was relieved of his post as the head coach of the Nigeria’s Super Eagles, Stephen Keshi has said it is time for him to move on.

“It is about time for me to move on, my dear. This is not the end of the world for me,” Keshi told Premium Times moments after he was dismissed as the coach of the Eagles.‎

It would be recalled that the former Togo and Mali coach was booed by football fan when he stepped into the national stadium in Abuja during Nigeria versus Sudan 2015 Nations Cup qualifier on Wednesday.

Former Super Eagles’ coach, Stephen Keshi

The match ended 3-1 in favour of the Super Eagles.

Keshi was asked to go after beating Sudan 3-1 on Wednesday in Abuja.

The win came after Nigeria had lost two of its previous encounters and had a draw in the qualifying rounds, placing it in doubtful position of qualifying for the football show piece.

Keshi, who took the Super Eagles job four years ago, won the 2013 African Cup of Nations, AFCON, in South Africa and led the team to the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2014 Confederations Cup, both held in Brazil.

However, the Nigerian senior team has been struggling to qualify for the 2015 AFCON having suffered two defeats against Congo and Sudan.

Keshi has been criticised for the calibre of players he has been inviting for national assignment especially those he selected for the 2014 World Cup.

Keshi assistants, Daniel Amokachi and Ike Shorounmu, are expected to proceed for a coaching course, fully funded by the NFF in any country of their choice.

Meanwhile, former Green Eagles player Adokie Amaiesimaka, on Thursday said that the dismissal of Keshi-led technical crew will not change anything in the Super Eagles.

“We have had 14 coaches since France 1998, does it mean that we do not have qualified coaches that can transform the team?

“Sacking Keshi and his crew does not change a thing; how do we expect Keshi to perform magic overnight, our problem did not start today.

“At the senior national level we should have elite players from the local league, but since Clement Westerhof, we have stopped producing players discovered from our league.

“The crop of players we produce these days shows the level of decline of our football,” Amaiesimaka said.

The former national team player advised the NFA to focus on the development of football at the grassroots in order the halt the current slide in the performance of the Super Eagles.