STEPHEN KESHI,Don't Let Your Ego Destroy NIGERIA'S Bright Future!

STEPHEN KESHI
I like what Stephen Keshi has been doing with the Super Eagles,he has truly surprised me by building a solid team with potential.There are still a couple of things i don't like about him and suspicious about,but hey he is producing the results so i won't change a thing. But this latest development worries me,Maybe some of you
would have seen on these pages here or elsewhere that Kelechi Iheanachor the boy who became a World Superstar at the recently concluded U17 World Championship had left with permission the Home based Super Eagles camp to go and discuss a deal with Manchester City.Keshi was reluctant to let the boy leave camp but said he had to when his parents got involved.The latest on that deal is that he may not be going to City anymore due to some contracts disagreement.The boy had been away for a week. Now Keshi is saying he would not welcome this boy back in the camp,because according to Kweshi he is not committed.

Keshi also admitted the boy had been impressive and was getting used to the style of the home based Eagles who will be playing in the African Championships of  home based African Players in January 2014.Nigeria has never won that competition.Hear Keshi:“Kelechi did really impress us and at the time he was in camp with us he had started getting used to our style of play, the players and officials. In fact he had started bonding well on and off the pitch with other players. Unfortunately when the call came that he was going abroad to sign a deal for Manchester City I couldn’t have stopped him since he had the backing of his family.

“Right now he’s not part of our plans for the CHAN because we’ve gone ahead with our preparation and team-building without him. And mind you he has lost one week of training and that’s a big gap to catch up with,There are other players in camp who are committed and we will have to work with them and get the best out of them for the tournament,”  said Keshi said on Friday.

Kelechi Iheanacho

There is a background to this story,when the u17 won the World Championship,Keshi was asked if he would draft any of the boys into the senior team..He gave what was a disappointing answer in my opinion by saying the boys will have to play for the Flying Eagles first,then the u23's before being considered for the National Team.That was a ridiculous answer.Surely if you are good enough,you are old enough.keshi must remember his St Finbarrs college team mate Henry Nwosu who went on to play for the National Team when he was 18yrs old. There is also the case of Samuel Eto,Pele,Rooney,Ronaldo and so many talents who played while still in their teens.If a player is voted the best u17 player in the world,surely he must be special? Anyway Keshi must have been counselled by some inner circle of the Nigerian Football sector because he went on to call 3 players into the home based Eagles for the upcoming African Tournament starting in January 11 2014. 

Keshi now saying he won't welcome Kelechi Iheanacho back simply because the boy went on to seal a deal that would change his entire life and that of his family as well as benefiting Nigeria in future is not only egotistical,but it is cruel ,wrong and selfish as well..Keshi should ask himself,if he was in the boy's shoes,would he turn down that opportunity? The boy did not go galavanting into town or on a drinking spree,he was attending to an important part of his career.Many times players have been late to various camps in the world all over.Some of the reasons have been their wives giving birth,being allowed to go to a burial,or even o sign an important transfer.So why is this boy's situation diffrent? This is a fantastic chance for Iheanacho to play at a higher level and Nigerian's getting to see if this boy can be our surprise package for the World cup in Brazil.I hope somone talks to Keshi and he can have a change of mind.Don't let us believe the rumblings that you(Keshi) have your boys in the Squad and are the only ones you want to see play for Nigeria