Team Nigeria has gone through a lot of rebuilding from the woeful
outing of South Africa 2010, inability to qualify for AFCON 2012 and have
metamorphosed into the Champions of Africa and one of its representatives to
Brazil 2014.
Stephen Keshi is generally reputed as a good coach. In fact, he
is regarded as the most successful coach Nigeria has had in the nation’s recent
football history and by winning the Nations’ Cup in 2013, his star has
continued to shine ever brighter since then! However, one question begging for
answer is: Can the Captain Keshi of ‘94 now turned Coach Keshi in 2014 motivate
his current team to the height of success befitting their status as the African
Champions?
Football enthusiasts have noted that the Eagles achieved much in
1994 because of the level of discipline in the team. The fortune of the team
nosedived to a level that the country could not qualify for the 2006 Mundial,
losing the slot to Angola, a minor then, because the national camp had become a
ground to exhibit players that were struggling with their careers.
Largely, Nigerians have lost hope in any transformation that may
result in bringing back the days of glory, which the then captain, Stephen
Keshi, was part of. Fans shifted their focus to leagues better managed and
well-funded in Europe, and little wonder the EPL, La Liga, Serie A and even
Bundesliga became the delight of Nigerians, instead of the Eagles and the
Nigerian League. Football fans follow these leaguespassionately, having the
belief that the joy, which had eluded them, will always be found in taking to a
club side and giving their full support.
CAPTAIN
He made it to the Super Eagles Team, debuting in the friendly
game against Uganda in 1981 in Benin during preparations for the final
world-cup qualifier against Algeria. He was later to play his first competitive
match for the Super Eagles against Algeria in Lagos. He came into the match as
a substitute, to replace the much rusty Christian Chukwu in the second-half,
with the Eagles down 2-O. He made his impact felt, with his long throws,
power-packed shots, his characteristic overlapping runs, and managed to stop
the rampaging Mustapha Koichi, who hitherto terrorised Nigeria’s defence.
Keshi made his Nation’s Cup debut, in Libya, in 1982; scoring
two goals in the opening match against Ethiopia, a match in which the Eagles
triumphed 3-0. As a result of the team’s elimination from that tournament, the
then NFA, sacked the Brazilian Coach and disbanded the Eagles. Chief Festus
Adegboye Onigbinde, was charged with the task of rebuilding the Eagles. He made
Keshi captain of the new -look Super Eagles. The team under his tutelage,
qualified for the 1984 edition of the Nation’s Cup competition. After a not- too-
impressive first round performance, the team reached the Semi-finals, and
confronted the Pharaohs of Egypt. Within the first 15 minutes, the Eagles were
2 goals down. Nigerian fans thought it was all over but the Eagles under the
captainship of Keshi fought back so hard that towards the end of the first
half, they earned, a penalty when the rampaging Chibuzor Ehilegbu, was brought
down in the penalty box. The resultant spot-kick was initially missed by Keshi,
but he was alert enough to score from the rebound.
With scores 2-1, the Eagles piled on the pressure in the second
half and were rewarded in the 75th minute, when Bala Ali scored with a glancing
header ,off a Stephen Keshi lob in , for the equaliser. From then onwards, the
momentum, was on our side and we eventually won the penalty shoot-out, when
scores remained 2-2, after 120 minutes.The young dynamic and inexperienced
Nigerian side lost to the more experienced Cameroonian side in the finals 3-1.
In 1985, Stephen Keshi’s career with the Super Eagles,
nose-dived, when as a consequence of reporting late to the Eagles camp, was
banned for 2 years by then NFA, alongside Henry Nwosu, Bright Omokaro, Sunday
Eboigbe, and Clement Temile. Keshi was eventually stripped of the captain’s
band, having failed to convince the NFA for a grant of pardon, after due
apologies, Stephen Keshi left for the Ivory Coast that gave him the opportunity
to play soccer without NFA’s clearance. He played for ASEC Mimosas and later on
Stella Football Clubs of Abidjan. His sterling performances caught the
attention of Belgian scouts, where he consequently earned a professional
contract in Belgium. There he vigorously played for FC Lokeren and RSC
Anderlecht club sides. He won many titles as a key player with Anderlecht. His
high-point being having played the finals of the European Cup Winner’s Cup
Competition in 1990, and losing narrowly in extra time to Juventus of Italy. It
must be recalled and be put to note that Stephen Keshi was a household name in
Belgium and, indeed, served as a pioneer and contact medium for Nigerian soccer
pros to Europe. He stood tall and broke grounds that turned attention to
Nigeria to look for his likes.
However, Keshi later on played for Strasbourg FC of France, a
second division side. And he eagerly helped earn the club a promotion to the
first division. He later on played for RWDM of Belgium before relocating to the
United States for MLS soccer.
At the National team level, Keshi’s truncated career was
reignited in 1987, when he helped Nigeria qualify for the AFCON 1988 - MAROC
‘88 - losing narrowly to Cameroun in the finals. A final that would be
remembered for the brilliant goal scored by Henry Nwosu - off of a brilliant
right-wing cross by the mesmerizing Ndubuisi Okosieme,.
In 1989, under pressure from the media, after a sterling
performance in Angola, during a 1990 world-cup qualifier against Angola, in
which he scored the equaliser that levelled scores 2-2, Stephen Keshi, was
re-appointed Super Eagles Captain. In his absence and in good faith, Henry Nwosu
and Peter Rufai filed in for him as Captain of the Super Eagles. The Super
Eagles under the leadership of Keshi failed to qualify for the World Cup in
Italy in 1990.
After the 1990 world cup failure, the Dutch man Clemens
Westerhoff was charged with the task of rebuilding the Eagles - as a favoured
foreign coach. He did this with Stephen Keshi as the captain of the Eagles. The
Eagles finished runners-up in the AFCON, 1990 in Algeria; finished in third
place in AFCON 1992 in Senegal and won the AFCON, 1994 in Tunisia. That same
year, the Eagles qualified for the 1994 World Cup Competition, for the first
time in the United - States of America. The Eagles, under the captaincy of
Stephen Keshi - then largely a non-playing captain - was one of three countries
that represented Africa in the World Cup. The Eagles impressed all and sundry,
with their scintillating brand of attacking soccer; losing narrowly to Italy in
the second round 2-1. Stephen Keshi only played one game, in the 2-0 victory
over Greece. He kept the spirit; nutured his guys with international relevance.
AS A COACH
After the 1994 World Cup, Stephen Keshi left the national side,
with the ovation at its loudest, and began studying for his Coaching Diploma.
His first coaching assignment was as an Assistant Coach to Bonfree Jo, during
preparations for the 2000 nation’s cup competition. The tournament was jointly
hosted by Nigeria and Ghana. That competition was particularly noteworthy by
the way we lost in the finals; through a dubious decision of the Tunisian
Referee, who cancelled a penalty goal scored by Victor Ikpeba. The Cameroonians
won the penalty shoot-out 4 – 3.
As a consequence of a faltering 2002 World
Cup qualifying campaign, Bonfree Jo was sacked; Keshi assisted AmoduShaibu in
tinkering the Eagles. The World Cup ticket was eventually won by Nigeria under
the tutelage of Stephen Keshi and Amodu Shaibu. However,
after a semi-final loss to Senegal at the 2002 Nation’s Cup
Competition, which was blamed on a players’ revolt, Keshi and Amodu were sacked
by the NFA, for what was perceived to be the coaches’ sympathy for the players.
Keshi thus missed the opportunity to help in coaching the Eagles at the 2002
World Cup.
Unsurprisingly, Togo snapped up Keshi, to help tinker their
national side. It was to be his first fully fledged assignment as coach; he did
not fail, as he helped Togo, qualify for their first ever world cup finals, in
Germany. However, misfortune struck him once again, when he was sacked, as a
consequence of having lost all the first round games at the 2006 Nations’ cup
competition, coupled with a disagreement with Emmanuel Adebayor.
The Togolese later reappointed him, after the 2006 World Cup;
from where he moved to coach the Malians, and qualified them for the 2010
Nations’ cup competition, in Angola. A not- too impressive performance in
Angola saw the Malians terminate his contract. When the Nigeria job became
available, in 2010, he contested with Samson Siasia, for the plum job. Siasia
was selected, but when Siasia failed, the job came naturally to Keshi, who
inherited a team in tatters. He inherited the onerous task of rebuilding the
Super Eagles - then ranked 63rd in the world; 10th in Africa and rightly or
wrongly called the ‘Super Chickens’ by the Elephants of Ivory Coast. In 15
months, Keshi remarkably turned around the fortunes of the Super Eagles,
unexpectedly, making them the African Champions!
That is all history. Now we are back to the pinnacle of African
soccer at the highest level. It is a seasoned time, with most of the Eagles
playing in the best leagues in the world (albeit some warming the benches) and
winning continental trophies. Here lies the crux of the problem, with our most
valued team starters at a risk of not being 100% match fit(as a result of lack
of game time in their clubs), will the gaffer of the team be able to coerce the
performance we need to reach the quarterfinals at least?
Keshi’s determination not to name any player who is not
disciplined in his list, gives a boost to his managerial stance of coaches who
stick their ground achieving results, the likes of Paolo Di Canio, Josep “Pep”
Guardiola, and AiméJacquet of France ’98 World Cup success.
The same Keshi that everyone tried to impose players on, both in
2004 and 2006, handled the Togo national football team and unexpectedly
qualified them to their first World Cup tournament, Germany 2006.
If any group of Eagles can achieve and surpass the Super Eagles
of ‘94, it is this crop of boys we have now. As a Nigerian and a great lover of
the round leather game, one can only hope Keshi will deploy the much famed
tactics of the ‘94 squad in the Samba country. However, if the faith he places
in his players and the firm hands he employs to rein in their excesses is a
sign of his ability, then rest assured Nigerians, Keshi has learnt from his
mistakes and will make us proud.
The appointment of Keshi, came with a mandate to qualify the
team for the Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa and at the same time for the
2014 World Cup. Keshi did not only qualify the team to the Nations Cup, but
against all expectations, won it in grand style with over 80 per cent new
players, mostlyhome based.
If Keshi feels that some players are not
in his World Cup plan just as Pep Guardiola, Luiz Felipe Scolari and
AiméJacquet had insisted, we have to give the ‘Big Boss’ the same free hand and
support while we pray along with him so that he continued to bring smiles on
the people’s faces and surpass his success in ’94.
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