Stephen
Keshi has appeared to rule himself out of a return as Nigeria coach
after losing patience with the Nigeria Football Federation, the BBC has reported.
Keshi’s contract expired on 30 June,
shortly after he led Nigeria to the last 16 at the World Cup, and he had
been negotiating a new deal.
“I have moved on. I can only wish the country well for the future.”
“I’ve had about seven countries approach me in the last two months but I kept them all away.”
Talks had been ongoing since July but a
series of delays caused by problems within the federation, including the
sacking and the FIFA-ordered reinstatement of the governing body’s
president Aminu Maigari.
“There’s a game in two weeks [Nations
Cup qualifier against Congo] but no-one is thinking about it and at the
same time they expect you to win,” Keshi continued.
“I understand the ongoing crisis facing the federation but the national team should not suffer from such at this crucial stage.
“Sadly, I also think attention is focused more on the upcoming NFF elections and the national team is simply not a priority.”
The NFF officials are understood to have
offered Keshi a new four-year deal and same $30,000-a-month salary he
was paid in his first stint as manager, while the coach had asked for an
increase.
Keshi says he has rejected offers from other African countries while the negotiations have been going on.
“I’ve had about seven countries approach me in the last two months but I kept them all away,” he added.
“I love my country and I am aware of the dream our fans had of me taking this team to the next level.
“While acknowledging the efforts of some
people involved in the negotiation, I think others probably have other
important things to do.”
Nigeria have already named a 23-man
squad for their upcoming qualifiers against Congo on 6 September and
South Africa four days later.
The defending champions will also face Sudan in Group A with the top two advancing to January’s finals in Morocco.
