Stephen Keshi may be a mere scapegoat for Nigeria’s woes

The Big Boss is out of the office. Nigeria coach Stephen Keshi was unceremoniously sacked, given the boot, relieved of his duties after a disastrous start to the African Cup of Nations qualifiers. If the writing is on the wall for under-fire managers, Keshi’s situation was more similar to the “HappyLife Home,” forcing him to watch his exit, time and again, before it became reality.

The situation was made even more peculiar by the fact that Keshi hadn’t actually been employed since his initial deal expired in June, meaning that he was either working for free --not likely-- or that large amounts of money would routinely disappear and then show up in his bank account. Keshi had initially penned a resignation letter after leading the Super Eagles to the AFCON title in 2013, their first in 19 years, after the Nigeria Football Federation approached Herve Renard to replace him on the heels of the historic achievement. He stayed on after the NFF rejected that said resignation, but since then it’s been one problem after another for the whole Super Eagles community.

In fact, his player selection policies became e a mess, a paradox between what he does and what he says. At first, Keshi stated he would focus most of his efforts on homegrown players. Indeed, the team that lifted the AFCON trophy was composed mostly of inexperienced, domestic players, who nonetheless worked well together. This was his saving grace with the fans and the community, This group of players belonged to them, they were kids raised in the villages, not the stars of Europe and Americas that are so disconnected to the locals.

That policy didn’t last long as Keshi, like his predecessors, began to call up foreign-based players more and more. The problem was that the coach seemed adamant on calling his favorites rather than those deserving on merit --infamously calling up Shola Ameobi, who’d been struggling to make an impact on a destitute Newcastle team, while ignoring a red-hot Obafemi Martins. It was this notion of favoritism and failed loyalty that led to his disconnect with many Nigerian players.

But despite the discontent among players and the grumblings coming from both fans and the federation, Keshi still led the Super Eagles to the knockout rounds of the 2014 World Cup, the only African manager to ever guide a team that deep into the tournament. Yet he was sacked not four months later, which should showcase the fact that the NFF is truly a basket-case of not-really-legal-and-kind of-insane processes.

Aminu Maigari, handpicked by FIFA for the NFF presidency, was forced out of his office in July after the embarrassing events leading up to their appearance in the Round of 16. The Super Eagles, upset that the $2 million in bonuses owed to them for advancing had gone missing once again, protested on the training ground and threatened to destroy property if their demands were not met. The sports minister had to intervene, the President of Nigeria himself spoke up to guarantee the bonuses, and Keshi was forced to apologize on behalf of his players for the embarrassment.

At the time, the Nigeria players were scorned, with many accusing them of simply being greedy. But there was a method and a reason to the madness. Maigari doesn’t have the cleanest records when it comes to the handling of money: One incident, in which $90,000 was due to the U-20 team, epitomizes the situation neatly: Maigari said the money went missing on a plane while airborne -- a plane both he and his advisers were in at the time.

In July, the NFF executive committee removed Maigari from the presidency for “financial misappropriation” after a stakeholder launched an injunction against him. FIFA stepped in to defend the man they’d picked for the job, declaring that “government interference” was unacceptable under the organization’s bylaws, and banning Nigeria from play. A month later, Maigari was reinstated, enabling Nigeria’s eligibility for the upcoming Women’s World Cup.

The saga wasn’t over, however. Maigari failed to submit his form for the NFF presidential elections, which were won by Chris Giwa. FIFA then reinstated Maigari again, prompting yet more elections, as well as a fire that threatened to burn down the NFF headquarters. Amaju Pinnick -- who has a public dislike for Keshi -- was finally selected as the new NFF president. FIFA accepted the results, with Sepp Blatter sending a congratulatory message in early October.

Such distractions did little to help Keshi, whose Nigeria squad had regressed so rapidly that they were starting to resemble a Sunday League team. AFCON qualifying wasn’t going well: a measly point from three matches, including a dumpster fire of a loss to Sudan. With the team performing so poorly and Pinnick now heading up the NFF, there was no doubt what the next step would be.

The Super Eagles finally mustered a 3-1 win against the same Sudanese team, leaving them with an outside chance of making the AFCON finals. But the result mattered little: the events of the past few months made it clear Keshi had to go.

Unfortunately any hopes for the future progress of Nigerian football were put to rest with the appointment of Keshi’s successor. Shaibu Amodu, who was responsible for leading Nigeria during the pitiful 2002 and 2010 World Cup qualifiers. A man so unimpressive that he was sacked before the finals in South Africa.

Watching Keshi, the man who once hailed as a savior, and the team branded as the new golden generation, disgraced and almost physically attacked at Abuja airport by incessant fans was beyond sobering. Having him replaced -- even if the appointment is only temporary -- by a disgraced former manager makes Nigeria’s future look even more bleak.

One foot forward and a decade of progress back.