Out of contract Stephen Keshi and his back room staff earned tax payers’ N14million for October and November yet failed to qualify Nigeria for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) scheduled to hold in Equatorial Guinea next January, SocietyGists learnt yesterday.
This revelation is coming against a backdrop of speculations that Keshi who was sacked from the Eagles job but reinstated with order from the Presidency, is about to get a fresh, improved contract of N7m per month from the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).
AfricanFootball.com had reported earlier yesterday that Sports Minister, Dr Tammy Danagogo, who is a big fan of the former Togo and Mali gaffer, paid Keshi for the two months from the subvention of the NFF in custody of the National Sports Commission (NSC) during the period of leadership crisis at the football house.
Danagogo’s reason for the payment, it was learnt, was to avoid a vacuum in the Eagles job when Keshi’s contract lapsed with the World Cup in Brazil.
“Yes, the minister paid Keshi and his technical crew during the period that there was leadership crisis in the NFF and with the AFCON 2015 going on, there was no other choice but to ask Keshi to help out on a temporary basis until his contract matter is sorted out,” observed the minister’s Special Assistant on Media, Patrick Omorodion, in response to SocietyGists last night.
He however refuted that Keshi alone was paid the N14m.
“It is not true that Keshi alone was paid the entire N14m. It was meant for Keshi and all the coaches working with him during the period,” the media aide of the minister further clarified.
Perhaps, it is the N7m per-month deal that Keshi enjoyed in the period no one at the Glass House had any control over him that may be making the ex-international to continue to press for an improve contract of same amount with the Amaju Pinnick led NFF board.
Keshi was in charge of the Eagles for the AFCON 2015 qualifiers double header against Sudan in October and then against Congo and South Africa last month. Nigeria lost 1-0 in Sudan, picked maximum points in Congo only to fail to qualify with the 2-2 home draw with South Africa at the brand new Ibom Stadium in Uyo.
But yesterday, NFF President, Pinnick, maintained that a contract has not been agreed with Keshi contrary to media reports that the coach will now be paid N7m per month.
“We have not come to an agreement yet (with Keshi),” Pinnick noted.
Keshi’s representative, Emmanuel Addo, at the weekend also admitted that no contract has been reached yet.
“(The reports of N7m per-month job) Not true. Where did you pick that from? Let’s wait and see,” Addo stated.
The Big Boss, as Keshi is nicknamed, previously earned N5 million during his first reign as Eagles head coach between November 2011 and July 2013.