Confed Cup: Minister summons NFF, Keshi over performance

Minister of Sports Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi
| credits: File copy

The Minister of Sports Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi on Monday summoned the executives of the Nigeria Football Federation and Super Eagles manager Stephen Keshi over the performance of the team at the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup held in Brazil last month.

The meeting which was chaired by the Director General of the National Sports Commission Mr. Gbenga Elegbeleye also had in attendance the coach of the Flying Eagles to Turkey 2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup John Obuh as the outing of the team was not pleasant according the supervising ministry. The NFF team was led their president Aminu Maigari who attended in company with the General Secretary Mr. Musa Amadu and the Technical Committee Chairman Mr. Chris Green.

An official of the sports ministry told The PUNCH that the meeting became necessary following the results the Nigerian teams got in both competitions.

He said, “In a way you can say it’s a routine meeting but you are also aware that no meeting like this was called after the Africa Nations Cup. The performances of the teams were below expectations in both Brazil and Turkey despite all the provisions made for the teams. Of course, it is expected that the ministry that provided the cash for these events should be able ask questions and get answers for the things we don’t really understand. It is not a query but a meeting to clarify things.”

A person who was part of the meeting told our correspondent that Keshi’s squad to Brazil was one of the matters discussed.

“The technical committee drew Keshi’s attention to the team list which was not the type they wanted. It is believed that Keshi made a gamble of the competition by taking too many unexposed and inexperienced players. They argued that the country’s performance could have been a lot better with a stronger squad,” he said.

Eagles left the Confederations Cup at the group stage after beating Tahiti 6-1 and then falling to Uruguay and Spain 2-1 and 3-0 respectively. The team made worldwide headlines just days to the start of the competition after players went on strike over match bonus dispute with the NFF.

In Turkey the Flying Eagles were eliminated at the second round after they virtually struggled with every game. They also had a torrid outing in a pre-tournament competition in France known as Toulon 2013.

Source:  punch