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๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ฌ Nigeria /Sports

Ex-NFF President Pinnick: No apology owed to late coach Stephen Keshi

From The Punch · () English

Translated from English and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

Interview Named sources Outcome reported
  • Former Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) President Amaju Pinnick stated he has no reason to apologize to the late Super Eagles coach Stephen Keshi.
  • Pinnick rejected claims that his board contributed to the decline of the team during Keshi's tenure.
  • He maintained that decisions made concerning Keshi were based on available reports and that their relationship was cordial until the coach's death.

Former Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) President Amaju Pinnick has asserted that he owes no apology to the late Super Eagles coach Stephen Keshi. Pinnick dismissed suggestions that his board's actions contributed to the decline of the team during Keshi's tenure as head coach.

Thereโ€™s no way I would have apologised to Keshi. Keshi, God rest his soul, he was an icon.

โ€” Amaju PinnickStating his position on apologizing to the late coach Stephen Keshi.

Speaking on Sunday Oliseh's YouTube channel, Pinnick stated, "Thereโ€™s no way I would have apologised to Keshi. Keshi, God rest his soul, he was an icon." He maintained that his relationship with Keshi remained warm until the coach's passing in 2016, and that the NFF was among the first to respond to his death.

Pinnick also refuted claims that his administration deliberately worked against Keshi. He explained that decisions concerning the coach were based on reports available to the federation at the time. "But thereโ€™s no way I would have apologised to Keshi because we didnโ€™t do anything wrong. We did what we did based on report," he said.

We had a very warm relationship until he passed, and when he passed, we were the first people that went.

โ€” Amaju PinnickDescribing his relationship with Stephen Keshi.

The former NFF president's comments were in response to a question about whether the NFF's relationship with Keshi had negatively impacted the Super Eagles after their 2013 Africa Cup of Nations victory and qualification for the 2014 World Cup. The question also touched upon the renaming of Asaba Stadium after Keshi and alleged friction during the coach's final years. Pinnick pointed to his continued relationship with Oliseh, who also experienced challenges as Super Eagles coach, as evidence that institutional issues, rather than personal animosity, might have been at play. He argued that his administration allowed technical officials freedom to operate and that various committees advised the executive committee.

But thereโ€™s no way I would have apologised to Keshi because we didnโ€™t do anything wrong. We did what we did based on report.

โ€” Amaju PinnickJustifying his stance on not apologizing to Keshi.
About this summary

Originally published by The Punch in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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