Keshi’s sack, not a surprise, says Amiesimaka

A former Green Eagles winger, Adokiye Amiesimaka, said on Sunday that he was not surprised at the removal of Coach Stephen Keshi because the current Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) board never believed in him.
Amiesimaka said in Port Harcourt, Rivers State that the termination of Keshi’s two-year contract because he applied for the Ivorian job, would not come to many Nigerians as a surprise.
“It is clear that the moment he was employed and after winning the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament, it was obvious they did not want him.
“Keshi was not wanted by the NFF. After winning the cup, Keshi ran into different problems with the federation. Some top NFF officials made it clear that they wanted a foreign coach. They were merely looking for excuse to throw him out,’’ he said.
Amiesimaka, a former Chairman of Sharks FC of Port Harcourt, said it could have dawned on Keshi that his employers did not want him.
“I saw it coming, Keshi should have seen it coming, I am sure other Nigerians too should have seen it coming, he was never their choice,’’ he said.
On Shaibu Amodu as replacement for Keshi, Amiesimaka said the same Amodu was removed in the past because he lacked technical depth.
“Amodu qualified the country twice for the World Cup in 2002 and 2010 and was sacked for a lack of technical expertise. I believe Amodu is not the real choice, I think they will prefer a foreign coach. Let’s wait and see how things will go,’’ he said.