By Ime Bassey

Former Falconet coach, Emmanuel Tetteh Okonkwo has asked Nigerians not to blame Keshi if the Super Eagles fail to qualify for the 2013 Nations Cup in South Africa and 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

The defunct Niger Dock coach voiced that the continuous late decisions on preparation for the team by the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF would never give any good result no matter the quality of the coach.

“If Nigeria fails to qualify for the 2014 World Cup and 2013 Nations Cup, Nigerians should not directly blame the coaches involved but the NFF for their decision. If I am to advise Keshi, it would be to work on his team’s attack because there have been some deficiencies in that department of late.

Coach Steven Keshil training the Super Eagle in Abuja.

“My pain about football in Nigeria is that, we have a very big problem of starting preparations for a major competition very late. Brazil and all other big teams in the world, start preparations for a major tournament from the end of the last competition while we start ours either eight or ten months to the competition and expect a miracle. It is not done,” Coach Okonkwo said.

On Keshi’s two games played, he felt it wasn’t a good basis to assess him as he (Keshi) needs to play more games to show any sign of hope.

“I cannot, as a football coach use the two matches played by Stephen Keshi to assess him. He needs time more than anything else in this world. I know he has the quality of taking us to where we want to be but, we must understand that time is the only determining factor and we should give it to him or forgo our dreams,” Coach Okonkwo added.