Keshi to Resume Eagles Job Next Week

Stephen Keshi will officially resume duty as Nigeria senior national team coach next week, the Nigeria Football Federation has confirmed.

Spokesperson of the NFF Executive Committee (ExCO), Chief Emeka Inyama, announced that the board has fast-tracked on completing the formal agreement with Keshi, 52, not later than next week.

“We have mandated the secretariat to reach out to Keshi and conclude the details of his contract,” said Inyama.

“We expect that the signing would be next week so that he can resume work ahead of the fast approaching 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying series.”

Stephen Keshi Led Nigeria Into the Second Round of the 2014 World Cup.
Stephen Keshi Led Nigeria Into the Second Round of the 2014 World Cup.

The development means the Afcon 2013-winning coach and ex-Nigeria international skipper is in line to break the rarely five-year long Nigeria job longevity record set by Clemens Westerhorf between late 1989 to after the 1994 World Cup.

Keshi, whose initial contract began in 2011 and ended after this summer World Cup in Brazil, will be saddled with the immediate responsibility of guiding Nigeria to the Afcon title defence.

Nigeria host Rwanda in a 2015 Afcon qualifier on September 7. The holders follow that up with a trip to Johannesburg three days later to play South Africa.

Sudan are the other team in the group.

The top two teams after the two-legged round of matches advance into the group stages of the tournament, which starts January 17 till February 8 in Morocco.