Super Eagles’ Coach Stephen Keshi on Wednesday described the seven-month salaries being owed him by the Nigeria Football Association (NFA) as “the lowest point” of his coaching career.
Keshi said this in Abuja at the Home-based Super Eagles’ interactive session with the media ahead of the team’s upcoming international friendly with Jordan in Amman.
He spoke in reaction to a statement credited to the NFA that the allowances and bonuses the team’s coaches earn were enough to sustain them.
Keshi is being owed about N35million in salary arrears.
Keshi however said the NFA had not done him any favour with the Super Eagles’ coaching job, because he had done the job with all he had.
Owing me up to seven months makes me feel I am not being appreciated. It is like they (my employers) think I am being favoured in what I am doing.
I am not being favoured. Whatever I am doing here, I am doing it with everything I have and I need to be respected and be paid — Keshi
“The lowest point of my career is working and not being paid for seven to eight months. I have never had this kind of experience before,” he said.
The former Super Eagles captain recalled that he was never owed his salaries when he worked with the Malian and Togolese football federations as coach of their senior national teams.
“In Mali, they will never owe you. Your salary will hit your account before the end of every month. It was the same thing in Togo.
“Owing me up to seven months makes me feel I am not being appreciated. It is like they (my employers) think I am being favoured in what I am doing.
“I am not being favoured. Whatever I am doing here, I am doing it with everything I have and I need to be respected to be given my pay,” Keshi said.
He said it was unbelievable that he and his colleagues had worked without pay for about eight months out of the 24 months they have worked with the Super Eagles.
“I don’t like discussing about money issues and if there is any NFA member who said we can work for free, then I will want to speak with him face to face.
“If they say we can work for free and that they are not going to pay, so be it.
“I can’t have my family abroad and I will be in debt because I have not been paid for seven months and somebody is saying we should not complain,” the coach said.
He regretted that the NFA appears not to be concerned about their plight “in spite of training under rain and sun to make Nigerians happy”.
NAN recalls that Aminu Maigari, the NFA chairman, had recently confirmed the debt owed Keshi and his colleagues.
He had however said the Nigerian football governing body could not help it as it was cash-strapped.
Maigari claimed that the situation had led to the slashing of the Eagles’ winning bonus from $10,000 to $5,000.
He also pointed out that some NFA members of staff were being owed for over a year.
Maigari had mentioned those being owed to include Musa Amadu, the Secretary-General, Mohammed Sanusi, the Director of Competitions, and Emmanuel Ikpeme, the Director of Technical Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everyday
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Have NFF ever owed a foreign coach this much despite their higher currency pay? How many foreign coaches have outperformed Keshi in every way? How would they have paid the foreign coach they have been clamouring for if they can't pay local crew? Can't Maigari resign before he takes our football many steps backward again? Perhaps, NFF wants Keshi and his team members to go on strike so that a panel will be set to look into the strike after much damage has been returned to the Nigerian Football, hence justifying their incessant call for a foreign coach. Square-peg-in-a-round-hole vision-less born to rule ruler.
ReplyDeleteYet if he doesn't perform NFA will be the first to complain with threat of sack. What nonsense...
ReplyDeleteNFF is breeding armed robbers. They are there to steal. Always complaining of lack of funds when they are the ones keeping the money in fixed deposits collecting the proceeds. They are trying to frustrate Keshi. Every sector is corrupt in this country. Pls pay the guy or use that money to treat cancer.
ReplyDeleteits funny how these guys whose people never play football and arent known for football always end up as
ReplyDeletefootball administrators. Preposterous indeed. thats why our football administration is always in shambles.
It is quite unfortunate and depressing to read stories like this. It looks like a joke and something that is not real. I have practically known that what motives employees to perform at their peak is when they have promotion and increase in salaries. A situation like this where hard working staff are working under the rain and sun and bringing back results home while their government does not appreciate them needs to be investigated and resolved immediately. They are ingrates and bad examples for Nigeria. I am sorry to hear this uncle Keshi. I know it will be hard on you and your family. I have said it many times that Nigerian system encourages stealing. Why won't people steal when their salaries are not being paid for months? 'Wicked people with wicked souls'. They have no excuse to do this at all. Can they try this with a foreign coach? We live abroad and things like this don't happen. Recently in the USA, the federal government staff did not go to work for about two weeks because of political stalemate, yet they were paid. You don't joke with people's salaries. It is bad and disrespectful.
ReplyDeleteAren't he boko brother?Another way of frustrating GEJ's administration.Beware they are using every way to fight him
ReplyDeleteAren't he boko brother?Another way of frustrating GEJ's administration.Beware they are using every way to fight him
ReplyDeleteNext, if he fails to perform, they will say a foriegn coach will do the job better. Forgetting that a foriegn coach will also be paid better.
ReplyDelete