Mutiu Adepoju Mutiu Adepoju says he is worried about the future of the Super Eagles in the wake of Nigeria’s failure to qualify for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations – and the Nigeria Football Federation’s indecision over the fate of Stephen Keshi. Keshi has been facing a firestorm of criticism in the country after the Eagles blew a golden opportunity to book their ticket for the January 17-February 8 Equatorial Guinea 2015 finals, battling to a 2-2 draw against South Africa in their last qualifying game in Uyo last November, in a clash they needed just a win to sail through. And there are growing calls for Keshi to step down following his inability to guide the African champions to a 17th Africa Cup of Nations appearance. The NFF keeps saying it is discussing a contract extension with the former Nigeria captain, whose earlier deal with the federation expired after the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. But former Nigeria midfielder Adepoju says the shroud of secrecy surrounding Keshi’s dealings with the NFF and a lack of action for the Eagles to make a strong comeback after their failure to qualify for Equatorial Guinea 2015 have put him in a position where he fears for the future of the senior national team. The former Real Santander star, who won the Tunisia ’94 Africa Cup of Nations alongside Keshi, urged both the NFF and his ex-Eagles’ teammate to state their position on the team’s managerial role. “Our football is in a bad moment and I’m really worried about the future of the Super Eagles,” Adepoju told our correspondent on the telephone during the week. “It’s painful we won’t be in Equatorial Guinea to defend our title and that will do no good for our reputation and image. “I hope we learn from our mistakes this time around. We should have learned from our past mistakes a long time ago but we don’t seem to learn anything. I’m worried about the Eagles and the future of our football.” The former Shooting Stars player, who represented Nigeria at the USA ’94 and France ’98 World Cups, added, “We are paying the price for underrating our opponents in the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers. “We took qualification for the tournament for granted and went to sleep. We had no business losing (3-2) to Congo at home. We underrated South Africa in the last qualifier and paid dearly for doing so. “Yes, the coach always takes the blame whenever a team loses. In my opinion, Keshi, the players, the NFF and the fans should share the blame for our failure to qualify for the tournament.” The Kwara Football Academy Administrator urged the NFF to put an end to the prolonged suspense over Keshi’s fate by either confirming him or appointing someone else to manage the national team. “Individual opinions don’t matter. It’s the opinion of the coach (Keshi) or the NFF that matters.” “Keshi should say if he’s satisfied and wants to continue to manage the national team, or that he’s not satisfied with what happened and wants to quit. The NFF should also speak out. They should tell Nigerians whether they want Keshi or not. They should take their decision to enable us to plan for the next Africa Cup of Nations. “Personally, I want Keshi to stay because what happened to him could happen to any coach. Football is unpredictable. Sometimes things go according to plan – sometimes things don’t go according to plan.
Posted on: Sat, 10 Jan 2015 04:29:49 +0000
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