NFF sacks Keshi’s Togolese assistant, others

The Nigeria Football Federation has downsized the national teams as was announced late Tuesday. One of the assistant coaches of the Super Eagles Sylvanus Okpala was the first to receive his letter but that was quickly followed by a longer list of personnel dropped from the team on Wednesday. Valerie Hounandinuou was among the nine Eagles back-room staff who were relieved of their jobs afterwards.

Hounandinuou is the Togolese who joined the Eagles back-room staff in November 2011 when Stephen Keshi was employed as the national coach.

The chairman of the NFF’s Media Committee Chief Emeka Inyama said that Keshi could retain Hounandinuou provided he could afford to pay him.

But in what appears to be a shift from the earlier official media release from the Federation on Tuesday, Keshi may not be affected by the rationalisation steps. The coach is likely to retain his salary as he agreed with the NFF on the day he was appointed as the coach of the team. Even though it was first announced that all the national team coaches would have their salaries slashed, Inyama told The PUNCH on Wednesday that the Federation would respect the contract it has with Keshi.

He said, “Yes we have cut down on the back-room staff but Keshi’s salary is not in the areas we are looking at. He has a contract with us so we have no reason to disrespect that contract.”

The NFF took the decision following its Technical and Development Committee meeting on Tuesday, and reduced the 17-man team to nine.

Some of those affected include Anderson Elderson (video analyst); Robinson Okosun (Psychologist); Emmanuel Attah (Team Coordinator) and Ben Alaiya (Media Officer). Demola Olajire, who is the NFF’s spokesperson, will take charge of the media role. The team Security Officer Gideon Akinsola has also been dropped.

The NFF also reduced the back-room staff of the other national teams, the Flying Eagles and the Golden Eaglets, to seven from 17. The Golden Eaglets left for Morocco before the changes were implemented but the NFF General Secretary Mr. Musa Amadu explained that the implementation as regards the team would take place when they return from the African competition.

“They can’t certainly go to the World Cup with the entire crew. We can’t drag them back from Morocco but the changes will be made as soon as they return,” he said.