Keshi’s contract will be resolved soon – Sports minister

Tammy Danagogo has assured everyone that the Big Boss will return to fully coach the Super Eagles after the dust raised by the NFF crisis has settled down

By Tolulope Adesanya
Coach Stephen Keshi’scontract negotiations will be fully resolved soon, Sports Minister Tammy Danagogo has revealed. The minister also said that Keshi actually requested for a monthly salary of 6million Naira contrary to the N15m he was rumoured to have demanded for.
Danagogo also disclosed that Keshi’s patriotism has shown through, to the extent that he is willing to drop the fight for increment in his monthly wages to help his country prosecute the two Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers holding next month.
However, he blamed the NFF crisis for the delay in sealing the Coach’s contract.
“The NFF has been negotiating with Stephen Keshi but apparently because of the situation on ground the negotiation has not been very successful. If you look at it, his contract expired about when we just exited the 2014 World Cup in Brazil,” Danagogo said.
“Apparently the NFF as at then was not very eager to re-negotiate with him. So we (National Sports Commission) were trying to see whether the NFF will negotiate with him. They were on that when a few things stated coming up. Then Maigari left, Maigari was suspended and Mike Umeh came in. Umeh then commenced negotiation with him (Keshi) but negotiation was stalled because they couldn’t agree on the remuneration.
“We again told Umeh to allow Maigari to come in to finish his tenure and do a peaceful election. From that Maigari came back and they too said that that amount of money they won’t be able to agree with it.
“Then I look at it that we have a match on the 6th of September, why do we unduly delay the contract. So I called Keshi personally to know what the issues were. He told me what they have offered him and what he has asked to be paid.
“I asked him if he is desirous to do the job. He said he is desirous and I told him I will undertake to see that when the dust is settled on the NFF issue we will get him and the NFF to sit down and sign the contract. I then asked him to come and do the work and if need be the Ministry can pay him. I told him if the NFF cannot pay him the NSC can pay for things to be done.
“He then told me for the love of his country he will come and start and when the NFF is settled they can agree. What they have offered and what Keshi is demanding is not even more than a million naira difference. It is just for the NFF to be settled and then Keshi’s contract will be signed.  The issue of what to pay Keshi is no longer a challenge.
“Even with what I have discussed with him now he can even waive that. So it is now left for the two sides to sit down, sign the contract and also agree on other issues in the contract. The issues to be resolved are assistant coaches, and so on. These are the details to be sorted out,” Danagogo concluded.