Finally, the gap between the best and the rest of the teams at the just concluded African Nations Cup has been defined. The boys were separated from the men as the Super Eagles tower heads and shoulders above other participating teams.
In reality, the AFCON 2013 tournament has been won and lost, but the man of the moment is the Super Eagle’s Head Coach, Stephen Keshi. To the man, who friends and acquaintances popularly call big boss, winning the trophy marked a watershed in his long journey of the game that has brought fame and fortune to him.
The trophy is equally the turning point in the declining fortune of Nigerian football. Surmounting all odds including the clouds of doubt from greater number of Nigerians, Keshi and his largely greenhorn players proved bookmakers wrong, rising from a status of an underdog, unflavoured team to become champions even with its unimpressive run especially at the group stage of the tournament.
Keshi’s overall assessment In his overall assessment of the tournament, the former handler of Hawks of Togo has this to say: “I’m very impressed with the standard I saw in the tournament. You can no longer differentiate among teams which one is better so much. In the past, you could predict how many goals one team was going to score against the other, but now you don’t know what is going to happen.
If you think one side will win, you might be making a mistake. “I think this is wonderful for African football. The competition was so tight, look at teams of countries such as Ethiopia and Cape Verde and some of the other countries and you wonder at the standard of their play. I’m very impressed with their performances and standard.
“Look at how Togo played against Cote d’Ivoire in their opening game, for example. There was no one outstanding the other. It was a very tight competition and that is good,” he noted. Self-denial and discipline as secret To underscore his full concentration on the task ahead, he deliberately refused to mark his 51st birthday in South Africa preferring to work assiduously for the daunting assignment.
Keshi said: “No, I didn’t mark my birthday. I wake up every day and think every day is my birthday. It has nothing to do with the impression that I’m under any form of pressure there. We know what we have to do, the atmosphere among the players was fantastic throughout the tournament.”
My players are assets To him, the niche was not about himself, he proudly tells everybody who cares to listen; “I’m so proud of what my players did in this tournament. They played well and concentrated on the job. They have so many potentialities.
When I came on board a year-and-a-half ago, my dream was to make Nigerians happy. I knew that they could have a very good team that they would be proud of. We are not there yet, but we are in the process and I am happy about that.” The most traumatic five minutes Recounting the most traumatic and longest five minutes wait of his life which separated him from history in the final encounter with Burkina Faso, bearing in mind how the Francophone West African country bounced back with the last kick of the game in the opening tie, said: “You don’t want to know what was going on in my head five minutes to the end. So many things were going through my mind, but I was keeping faith. It’s a little difficult when you are an African coach.
Now, I hope more African coaches will emerge and do their countries proud.” History maker At times charismatic, belligerent, terse and witty, but never dull, the former bull of a centre-back gained entry to an exclusive club of those to be crowned kings of Africa as both a player and a coach. The only other man to accomplish that feat was the late Egyptian Mahmoud El Gohary, who helped his country defeat Sudan 2-1 in the 1959 final and guided the Pharaohs to a 2-0 victory over South Africa 39 years later.
As a player, Keshi triumphed with a golden generation of Super Eagles in a 2-1 victory against a Zambia team rebuilt one year after the plane crash off Gabon that wiped out the national squad. Reflecting on the differences between then and now, Keshi, who spent most of his playing career in Belgium, said: “The 1994 squad was unbelievable. We were brothers, there was a great spirit in the team, now there is the talent, but we need a strong mentality and character.” “I’m not sure I can quantify both. I can’t differentiate both because I was the captain and we won the cup in 1994. Today, I’m the coach and we’ve won the cup.
Probably the only difference I can see there is that it took too long for Nigeria to win the cup again. The last time Nigeria played in the final, I was the assistant to Jo Bonfrere and that was in 2000. And 13 years later we won the cup. There is really no difference between winning as a player and as a coach.
Having won the Nations Cup, is he a fulfilled man, he replied: “When I came on board, my dream was to make Nigerians happy. My dream was to make Nigerians know that they were going to have a very good team. We’re not there yet, we still have a long way to go. But, I’m happy about the progress we’ve made so far.
“I’m proud of the fact that I’m the first Nigerian coach to win the Nations Cup for my country. But, as I said in my post match conference, I want to dedicate this victory to all Nigerian coaches. It’s not for me alone. I hope other African coaches will get to this position and make their nations proud.” he noted.
Meeting the target He set target for himself even while he was still handling the Hawks of Togo, dreaming to make impact if he takes up Super Eagles’ job, thus winning the tournament trophy has made him a satisfied man: “I’m an optimistic person and I look at everything positively. “Even if something had gone wrong, there must be a lesson for me to learn from that experience to make my future better.
I told the Togolese people we would qualify for the World Cup and they didn’t believe. I told my captain (Joseph Yobo) too that we were coming to South Africa to win the cup, but he also didn’t believe. Of course, it has taken hard work to get to achieve what we achieved now and I thank God. Give me chance Having fought several odds over the axing of experienced stars: Obafemi Martins and Osaze Odemwingie.What does Keshi think of his relatively young squad, he replied: “I can’t rank them. What I know is that there are many potentialities and qualities in them that I’d say whatever they’re dishing out now is about 80 per cent of what they can give.”
“With hard work and much motivation, I think they’ll get up there. Yes, we won the cup, but God was on our side because Burkina Faso was a very good team too. We still need much experience in the team and it’s coming because when you play tournaments as this, the boys tend to gain much experience.
The Confederations Cup in Brazil will also enhance our quality of play and experience.” Pleading for patience to enable him build a strong squad he said: “It’s a shame that in Africa we do not have patience, we do not have time.
They don’t wait for you to do your job and develop a proper team. They want you to start today, build a wonderful team tomorrow, the next day win the World Cup. “The earlier we understand how these things work, the better for us to grow in Africa. Because there are many talents on this continent, but most of the coaches have not been given freedom to work.” How ready is he for the Confederations Cup billed for Brazil, he said: “Qualifying to represent Africa in the Confederations Cup is an honour to Nigeria.
I haven’t even thought about it yet, but it gives us the chance to continue to improve.” Resignation threat The report of Keshi’s resignation almost marred the glamour of the celebrating the trophy, but did he actually resign, he said: “While I have had cause to express my displeasure over some issues that happened in the course of our participation in the AFCON 2013, that my team won by the grace of God, especially concerning my relationship with the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF), I have since had opportunity to discuss the various issues with all concerned.
“I’m, therefore, pleased to say that I have reconsidered my position and have decided to continue with my job. Yes, I actually resigned over certain misunderstanding with the federation, but we have sorted out everything. I have rescinded my decision after a stormy meeting with the Honourable Minister of Sports, which lasted for more than four hours. I want to tell Nigerians that I’m back to work for them. I’m here,” he promised.
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