I have nothing to apologise to Keshi for — Pinnick

Amaju Pinnick, the former president of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), has firmly denied any wrongdoing on the part of his board that may have contributed to the decline of the late Super Eagles coach, Stephen Keshi. The remarks were made in a recent episode of Pinnick's show, "The Pinnick Tapes: NFF Scandals Exposed," which aired on Sunday on Oliseh's YouTube channel, Global Football Insights With Oliseh.

The question arose during an interview when a viewer accused Pinnick's board of contributing to the Super Eagles' decline after their 2013 AFCON victory, citing the renaming of Asaba Stadium in Keshi's honor and the alleged friction between the coach and the federation during his final years. Pinnick dismissed these claims, stating that there was nothing he needed to apologize for.

Keshi, who led Nigeria to the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations and the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, remained a beloved figure in Nigerian football. Pinnick emphasized that his relationship with the late coach was warm until Keshi's passing in 2016, and that they were among the first to visit him after his death. Pinnick maintained that the federation's decisions regarding Keshi were based on available reports, and that they had given his technical officials the freedom to contribute to football administration, as long as their decisions did not conflict with the national interest.

The controversy surrounding the NFF's treatment of indigenous coaches and the struggles of former Super Eagles players has reignited debates about the administration of Nigerian football. Pinnick's comments come at a time when the future of the federation and its approach to coaching is a hot topic of discussion.