Keshi didn’t apply for Ivory Coast job —Agent

Stephen Keshi

Emmanuel Ado, the agent to Super Eagles coach Stephen Keshi, has said that his client did not apply for the vacant Ivory Coast coaching job as published by the Fédération Ivoirienne de Football on Friday.

Keshi was named as 20th on a list of 59 coaches that applied to replace Herve Renard as coach of the Elephants.

According to the FIF on its website, all applications were received on or before June 15, which was the deadline for submission of applications. But Ado insisted that Keshi never applied for the job, adding that nobody applied for the post on behalf of the Nigeria coach.

“No he didn’t (apply). I am his official agent (and) I didn’t (apply). Any CV that is not from me is zero. I have his power of attorney to act on his behalf,” Ado said in an email to our correspondent on Monday.

The agent had earlier said the story was the handiwork of “enemies of peace”.

But the President of the Nigeria Football Federation, Amaju Pinnick, insisted on Monday that Keshi would be punished if the investigative committee set up by the body found him guilty of applying for the Ivoirian job.

Pinnick said on Channels Television that it would be “suicidal” for the coach to attempt to dump Nigeria for Ivory Coast.

“They just brought that (Keshi’s story) to my notice. But it might be somebody playing a treacherous game. I’ve sent it to the committee (set up by the NFF). Let’s wait and see,” Pinnick said.

“If it’s found to be true, he’s in for a serious trouble. If it’s not, he’ll continue (with his job).

“He signed a contract. We’re not owing him; we try to meet all our obligations to him. He started on a very good note. He won a game against Chad and we intend to build on that.

“It’ll be suicidal for him to seek another employment when he has one with a bigger footballing nation.

“The committee will carry out its own investigation and if it finds out that indeed he applied, the recommendation of the committee and other committees will speak for itself.”

Pinnick also said the inability of the Super Eagles to perform well was because some of the players lacked discipline.

He revealed that the statement made by team captain Vincent Enyeama on the security concerns in Kaduna cost the NFF a lot of money. He added that Ogenyi Onazi’s sending off against Chad in their 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier on June 13 cost the body $5,000.

“Among the players, some of them are not friends, they don’t even pass the ball to each other. They have various cliques,” he said.

“We’re disappointed by the behaviour of Enyeama and Onazi. Enyeama’s statement cost us a lot of money.

“We’ll listen to his (Enyeama’s) reasons. There are rules in the Statutes on how to punish a player, we just don’t punish anyone. The committee headed by Chris Green will begin sitting tomorrow (Tuesday) and we’ll wait for its recommendation.

“Discipline is key in any area of human endeavour; no player or coach is bigger than Nigeria.