Just yesterday, Coach Stephen Keshi was riding on a crest wave of success. Few months after taking over the reins as Eagles coach from Samson Siasia, he qualified Nigeria for the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa, which he went on to win, after a 19-year old drought.

Super Eagles coach Stephen Keshi

The triumph in Johannesburg sparked scenes of jubilation in various cities and towns of Nigeria, as football fans feasted on the third AFCON title triumph of the Eagles.

Keshi became a cult-like figure, feared and revered by all. He had come, saw and conquered all on the continent.

His stature loomed larger than even life itself as he cascaded the length and breadth of the globe with a swashbuckling swagger, reserved only from the princes of the Mediterranean. He walked taller than his employers, at times, allegedly looking down on them.

But his story soon started showing signs of cracks as the Eagles failed to fly at the 2014 FIFA World Cup after a disappointing outing in Confederation Cup. Nigeria had gone to Brazil with high expectations of surpassing their second round feat of USA ’94 and France ’98 but lo and behold, they barely managed to stutter into second round, losing 2-0 to a beatable France.

Nigerians were aghast with their performance and called for the head of Keshi. The NFF, then under the leadership of Aminu Maigari backtracked on extending the contract of the former Togo and Mali coach, which had ended after the World Cup.

Indeed the bubble had burst. There was ample evidence that Keshi was being overrated. He might not have been as good as Nigerians thought he was.

But all of a sudden, a rash of reports linking Keshi to juicy offers from top African nations and some foreign clubs started surfacing, with the former Nigerian captain even reportedly saying that he was going to accept any of the offers as the NFF was foot-dragging on his new deal.

Despite avowing that offers were being dangled at him, none eventually materialised as the likes of South Africa, which were reportedly touted as one of the destination points for Keshi, looked inwards and offered the Bafana Bafana job to Ephraim ‘Shakes’ Mashaba.

With no cover to run under and sensing that time was running out, Keshi accepted to continue as Eagles coach, without a contract. How ironical that the same coach, who had professed after the flop in Brazil that he was not gong to coach the Eagles again because of the intrigues and back-stabbing had recanted and decided to work for Nigeria.

And with the coming on-board of the new Executive Committee of the NFF, led by Amaju Pinnick, it appears that Keshi has started lobbying afresh for a new deal.

Saturday Vanguard Sports was reliably informed by a top NFF source that Keshi has been making frantic calls to members of the Executive Committee, urging them to expedite work on his contract.

“He has been calling the new Executive Committee of the NFF and begging them that they should not overlook him as he was prepared to serve Nigeria. He also said that his commitment to serve Nigeria was evident in his decision to work on interim basis without contract”, our source told us last night.

But we gathered that the board, given the reported disposition of the Minister of Sport and Chairman, National Sports Committee, Dr. Tamuno Danagago to Keshi being retained to coach Nigeria, was considering offering the latter a short contract, upon which a basis for a long-term deal would be based. But that is not guaranteed as Amaju has said that Keshi needs help. “Since we are in the middle of a qualifying campaign for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, which they don’t want to rock, members of the board are thinking of giving Keshi a short-term contract, maybe for six months, to enable them asssess him and think of the way forward for Nigerian football because the interest of our football is paramount in what we we are doing”, said the NFF insider.

Kojo Williams, one time NFA chairman once said that Keshi needed a superior technical assistance. Amaju Pinnick supports that position.