The controversy surrounding Stephen Keshi, the Nigerian coach, erupted when the Malawi coach accused him of racism. This incident has prompted FIFA to intervene, with Keshi being summoned to explain his comments.
The Nigerian federation has confirmed the receipt of the summons, stating, “We received the summons before the match against Malawi, but we did not want to distract the team for this important meeting, which is why we saw fit to keep silent on it. The Federation is doing everything possible to ensure that Keshi responds adequately to the summons and within the allotted time frame.”
It is noted that Keshi has a history of expressing hostility towards white coaches. He further escalated the situation by directing similar comments towards Tom Saintfiet, who expressed concerns about playing a match in Calabar during the 2014 World Cup qualifiers.
“This is where we play our matches, and other countries are OK with that. If he wants to talk to FIFA, he should return to Belgium. He’s not an African, he’s a white man; he should return to Belgium,” Keshi remarked. He continued by saying, “I have never used words like these against any coach. He has no right, who is he? All other countries play in Calabar. Calabar is one of the safest places in Nigeria… It’s crazy. I would like to be able to say it in front of him.”
These comments prompted the Malawi coach to bring the matter to FIFA, citing “racist comments from Stephen Keshi” as grounds for his complaint. The coach expressed his disappointment, stating, “These comments are unacceptable, and I am very sad about that. I am not going to say bad words about Mr. Keshi, nor about Nigeria. I was only talking about the relocation of the match. If FIFA takes racism very seriously, then they should take these statements seriously. If a European said something of this nature about an African, you would have a huge problem. I am against racism in all its forms.”
