Stephen Keshi Sacked as Nigeria’s Head Coach Despite Victory Over Sudan
Stephen Keshi’s tenure as head coach of Nigeria’s Super Eagles has come to an abrupt end, following his dismissal by the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) just hours after a 3-1 victory against Sudan in the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers. Despite the much-needed win, which brought Nigeria their first points in the campaign, Keshi’s departure was widely anticipated due to growing tensions between the coach and the federation’s leadership.
Keshi, who famously led Nigeria to the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations title, voiced his frustrations after the Sudan match, accusing the country’s football officials of attempting to sabotage the team’s efforts. “I know what’s going on behind the scenes. There are some people trying to undermine what we’re doing here,” Keshi said in his post-match press conference. His remarks highlighted the escalating rift between the coach and the NFF, which has been simmering for months.
The NFF moved swiftly to end Keshi’s reign, dismissing the coach on Thursday morning. Keshi’s exit comes just over a year after his Super Eagles reached the Round of 16 in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, adding to his legacy as one of Nigeria’s most accomplished managers. The decision to part ways with Keshi has been met with mixed reactions, but the NFF has already acted to fill the void with a consortium of local coaches, led by Amodu Shaibu, to take charge of the team for the remainder of the qualifiers.
As of now, Nigeria sits third in Group A with 4 points, trailing South Africa (8 points) and Congo (7 points), but ahead of Sudan (3 points). With crucial matches remaining, the focus now shifts to whether the new coaching setup can guide Nigeria to qualification for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations.
