By Eddie Akalonu
Former Iwuanyanwu Nationale, Enyimba and Udoji United coach, Tony Ukeachu has called on the Nigeria Football Association, NFA, to drop the idea of hiring Sampson Siasia as coach of the Super Eagles but should rather name Steven Keshi as the team’s Technical Adviser job without further delay.

Ukeachu said the former national team captain remains his favourite to handle the national team because as he put it, “Keshi has kept a top flight status in coaching that has seen him qualify two different countries for the Fifa World Cup finals.”

Ukeachu, who spoke to Saturday Vanguard sports from Owerri on telephone said from every indication it appears that Siasia to date has bright prospects in the game but he has won no title or trophy to show for his efforts.

“ But Keshi remains my top pick for the job because he has qualified two different countries for the World Cup. First was Nigeria in 2002 as an assistant to Shaibu Amodu and again he qualified Togo for the 2006 edition in Germany,” he said, pointing out that “Siasia, who NFA top shots have focused on in recent times has won no trophy or title to show for his effort.

He has only taken Nigeria to the final of FIFA U-20 final and Olympic Games final for the U-23. He could not even take Heartland beyond the CAF Champions League group stage recently. Even Kelechi Emeteole that he replaced in Heartland has won the league title with Enyimba and took Heartland to play in the Champions League final last year.”

Explaining more Ukeachu, who noted that himself and coach Dmitriv took Iwuanyanwu Nationale to play in the Cup of Champions final in 1988, won the league and FA Cup titles with same Iwuanyanwu Nationale and reminded all of the fact that Amodu was the first Nigerian coach to win a continental trophy in 1989 with BCC Lions of Gboko when they won the then Cup Winners Cup.

He said that Amodu also has the league and FA Cup titles to his credit and then expressed dismay that after failing with Heartland in the Champions League, Siasia has been boasting he is the best coach in Nigeria.

“I like to remind him that he has won no trophy as at now and that Nigerian coaches are not happy over recent comments he made to the media. I can understand the press like him a lot and he has highly placed Nigerians opening doors for him to go higher and higher. But my advice is he should talk less and concentrate on coaching because coaching is not done on the pages of newspapers.

If Emeteole, Amodu, Keshi and myself who have visible titles to show in our CV are alive, I wonder why Siasia would claim he is the best coach around. The truth is, he is not the best. Right now the issue is not about me but I say NFA should allow the best man take the Eagles job. Since opinion is for the young generation of Nigerian coaches to handle the national team and not our generation, that man is Keshi.” he added.