SPORTS::KESHI OUT--AMODU IN--FOR THE 4TH TIME

Within 24 hours, Nigerian football recorded what could be the most dramatic twist in its history. The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) on Thursday announced the sack of Coach Stephen Keshi and replacing him with former coach Amodu Shaibu Amodu Shaibu may be seen as a stop-gap measure and that borders on his travail with the Nigerian football federation The 56 year-old is the first Nigerian coach to qualify the Super Eagles for the World Cup but was denied the opportunity of leading Austin Okocha and the team to the 2002 Korea/Japan World Cup as he was sacked months before the kick off And as so, Nigeria did not do well in the tournament, recording its worst ever World Cup appearance; scoring one goal, conceding 3 and ending up with one point at the bottom Amodu was to make another return to the Nigerian team in April 2008, leading the team to the Angola 2010 Nations Cup tournament where it finished third and also qualifying for the 2010 World Cup and again, dropped months before the tournament kicked off in South Africa: Nigeria again recording another poor outing in the mundial Amodu had his first stint with Nigeria in the late 90’s as coach of the team but was intermittently displaced in between the periods he served Stephen Keshi’s sack may have been the long yearnings of many Nigerians who say that the coach has overstayed with the national team and has given all that he can and is no longer able to give more It might however, come as a shock to some who may have seen Wednesday’s win over Sudan as the beginning of a process; a progressive one that should have continued, at least until the end of the qualification series The big players up there at the football house who considering the ‘interest of Nigerian football’ think it better to change baton now that the race can still be salvaged Respite in Amodu; who by records and achievements, is the second best to Keshi, only for the last two games against Congo and South Africa, could be the nerve wrecker that Nigerian football needed Certainly, Keshi sack would be followed with a hunt for a foreign manager; whoever would be coming in as the coach would have to take it further from Keshi left Knowing how aggressive, impatient and demanding Nigerian fans can be, anything short of victories from the two games and greater successes from whoever takes over permanently, would refer to Thursday, October 16, 2014