ONIGBINDE: I was misquoted on Keshi’s sack

Former Super Eagles Coach Adegboye Onigbinde has put record straight as regards the controversy surrounding the retention of coach Stephen Keshi as the Super Eagles handler.
Onigbide was recently quoted as saying that Keshi should quit his decision to fight for retention of his  coaching job and look for a job in another African country.

But the Modakeke, Osun State High Chief has told Sportinglife that he did not actually ask Keshi to forget about coaching the Eagles but advised him to study the situation on ground very well before jumping into renewing his appointment with the Nigeria Football Federation(NFF).

“Firstly I will tell you sincerely as a very close friend that I was misquoted by the said reporter that wrote that story in the first place. When I heard that President Goodluck Jonathan had ordered that Keshi should be retained as Eagles’ coach, I sent him a text message to advise him on the issue.

“I sent a text message to him to thank Mr. President for the gesture and politely beg the President on why he shouldn’t retain his job with the Eagles.

“To me it would be very difficult for Keshi to succeed on the job since the NFF has once sacked him before President Jonathan’s order. Keshi would still need to work with the present NFF administration that first sacked him and the relationship to me has already been soured. So, this is what I told him as a concerned colleague in the coaching business not that I told him to quit for failing as a coach.

“As regards the Super Eagles ouster for the 2015 African Cup of Nations, Onigbide said Keshi should not be singled out as the major culprit. He said that the Big Boss should not take the blame alone and the blame should also go to the NFF.

“I know Keshi very well. He has his good and otherwise attributes as a coach. But it is wrong for anybody to put the blame on Keshi. It should be on our football administrative set up. The whole set up is wrong and faulty”, Onigbibnde blasted.