Cosmas Odoemena

Since Steven Keshi "failed" to qualify the Super Eagles for the AFCON 2015 in Equatorial Guinea to defend their title, it has been "Keshi is a failure," "Keshi is a bad coach," "Keshi is arrogant," "Keshi takes bribe from players," "Keshi is the worst thing that ever happened to our football," and so on.

Keshi is now the villain. How short indeed is our collective memory of success! When he won the 2013 AFCON his players carried him shoulder high. Nigerians celebrated him. Africa celebrated him. CAF named him the Coach of the Year. Mahmoud El-Gohary of Egypt and Nigeria's Steven Keshi are the only people that have won the Nations Cup as a player and as a coach. Nigerians were proud to be associated with Keshi. All that is now bygone.

In case some of us have also forgotten, or have chosen to forget, Keshi is the longest serving Super Eagles captain. He is the best coach Nigeria has produced, and one of the best coaches in Africa. Mali know this. Togo know this. Other African countries know it. But Nigerans don't know it!

Before Nigerian footballers "opened eye" Keshi had gone to Europe to establish himself, and helped many Nigerian players to move to Europe. Perhaps if not for Keshi our footballers would not have moved to the bests leagues in the world then, and become internationally known. They have even said Keshi's AFCON success was by "luck". Well, luck follows great coaches.

After we could not qualify for the AFCON 2012 the NFF or whatever they call themselves now had their tail between their legs. They told themselves the truth. That there was no them without a vibrant Super Eagles team. They decided to go for Steven Keshi. He was to build a new team. Keshi was given a contract in black and white, not a verbal contract. Keshi went for youth, people who were not known because he understands the psyche of the Nigerian, nay African player. He understands they cannot handle fame. Nigerian players when they are in the youth stage they know their lives depend on doing well in tournaments, especially World Cup or they risk poverty for life. That is why any chance they have to showcase themselves they give it their all. Even their parents do everything to encourage them. They are ready to listen to, and ready to obey their coach. But their white counterparts who know their future is assured by their governments only go through those competitions as not a "do or die" thing but a game that builds them up. When they now go professional they give it their all. While Nigerian foreign based players are obsessed about their pounds and dollars in Naira their white counterparts are obsessed about breaking new records. So he is busy developing himself. Keshi knows this. That was why he went for those who will play for him, as he likes to put it, "those who will work for the team." People keep saying Keshi keeps experimenting. That "new" players will not allow for "stability" or "blending." Again, Nigerian players are not primed to "play for long", at least not yet. Nigerian players give their country the best of themselves for a period they seek recognition, after that the "been there, seen it, done it" mentality takes over. Use them while they can last. Remember they lie about their ages. Not everyone is an Okocha or a kanu.

Football is a team game. Perhaps you might get one or two people who want to always raise their game in a match, but as long as you have those who are not willing to raise their game, even just one of them who is not raising his game, that one becomes the weak link. They are the ones who will lose concentration in a match easily. They are the ones who will not take any risk in a match, they are the ones who will complain about playing on artificial turf, they are the ones when they are supposed to play for the national team they will excuse themselves for "pressing family matters," they are the ones who blackmail their country over match bonus. Keshi knows all this. And that is why he does not build his team on any player. That is why he is regularly looking for "unknown" names who will make a name for themselves. Even if it they are only primed to last for a competition. It does not matter. Keshi goes for raw talent, and what his team lacks in talent it has as a team. Keshi understands that "big names" will not win us laurels. It is easier for Nigeria to win the Nations Cup again with Keshi's "unknown" players than with our under-talented players with over-inflated ego from abroad who choose the match they play. We can never win the World Cup with them. Never! Only "Keshi's type of Eagles" can win it. Any Nigerian coach who wants to succeed must apply that formula.

The Pharaohs of Egypt won the Nations Cup in 2010 but could not qualify to defend it in 2012 because there was war in Egypt. When our football managers who are supposed to be a family decide to fight among themselves like children whose father died intestate, how do you expect our football to move forward? Even the world of football was not happy with Nigeria. FIFA President Sepp Blatter and CAF President Issa Hayatou made it clear to Nigerian football administrators.
Cameroon went through the same infighting process and their football dipped. They came to their senses and now they are back. The French football players had problems in their camp in the 2010 World Cup, which caused their early exit. In 2014 they beat the Super Eagles to reach the Quarter Finals. And their football has remained on the ascendency.

How many foreign trainings for coaches has NFF sent Keshi and other Nigerian coaches for? None! Keshi is not the problem of our football. No coach is the problem of our football. Even an Alex Ferguson will not succeed in the kind of football environment we have today.

Besides, no coach keeps winning forever. There will be a time failure will come in. It happens to the best coaches in the world. After all, other teams are not there to watch spectators. But good coaches learn from it, to get even better! In addition, Nigerians are not patient. Before Sir Alex Ferguson became what he is with Manchester United his early years had no success. No one sacked him. He was given time. And the results are there to see. Arsene Wenger has been floundering with Arsenal for some years now. Still, management has kept faith with him. They know he has done it before, that he can do it again. Even Louis Van Gaal with Manchester United was not winning matches when he was initially appointed, but today they are third in position in the English Premier League.
The Spanish team, as defending Champions were disgraced at the last World Cup prompting their coach Vicente del Bosque to tender his resignation. The football board did not accept his resignation. They told him that they believe in him. Now, the Spanish team is back to their winning ways.

Those at the Glass House clamouring for a foreign coach are doing so for their own selfish reason, because they know that they will make "more" money from the deal.

Keshi loves Nigeria. But it is his patriotism that is coming back at him. How many of us will be willing to coach the Super Eagles without a contract, not sure you will be paid? No foreign coach will do it.

How can you concentrate when you are distracted by one court ruling or the other because those who run our football have refused to grow up? How can players concentrate in such a circumstance? If Nigeria had qualified for the 2015 AFCON it would have gone contrary to natural laws. Without peace, there can be no progress. A house divided against itself cannot stand. Let Keshi be! We should seek first peace in our football house and every other thing shall be added unto our football.

Dr Odoemena, medical practitioner,
Lagos

http://dailyindependentnig.com/2014/12/defence-stephen-keshi/