NFF rejects Keshi’s jumbo list

The Nigeria Football Federation has
instructed Super Eagles’ Head Coach,
Stephen Keshi, to focus primarily on earning
Nigeria a 2014 FIFA World Cup finals ticket,
before the business of full preparation for
the 2014 African Nations Championship can
start in earnest.
Against the foregoing, rising from its
meeting in Abuja on Tuesday, the NFF
Technical and Development Committee told
Coach Keshi to come up with a 23-man list
for the World Cup cracker against Malawi in
Calabar on 7th September, and do away
with the jumbo list of 42 that he had earlier
submitted.
The former Nigeria captain has been told in
no uncertain terms that there would be no
elaborate camp for 24 home-based players,
earlier scheduled to arrive in Abuja on
Sunday, out of which only five will make the
shortlist for the match in Calabar.
Chairman of the NFF Technical and
Development Committee, Barrister Chris
Green, explained: “We must be very
pragmatic and take it one step at a time. The
2014 FIFA World Cup ticket is very, very
important to Nigeria and Nigerians. Yes, we
have qualified for the African Nations
Championship, for the first time ever, and
we very much
appreciate it.
“But there are three very crucial 2014 FIFA
World Cup qualifying matches that we must
prosecute successfully to qualify for Brazil
before we can start the build-up to the
African Nations Championship.
Our smart money must be on focusing hard,
and without any distraction, at the World
Cup ticket.”
Keshi is expected to harmonise his list and
submit a reviewed document to the NFF
before the end of the week.