Wednesday described the seven-month salaries
being owed him by the Nigeria Football
Association (NFA) as "the lowest point" of his
coaching career.
Keshi said this in Abuja at the Home-based
Super Eagles' interactive session with the media
ahead of the team's upcoming international
friendly with Jordan in Amman.
He spoke in reaction to a statement credited
to the NFA that the allowances and bonuses
the team's coaches earn were enough to
sustain them.
Keshi is being owed about N35million in salary
arrears.
Keshi however said the NFA had not done him
any favour with the Super Eagles' coaching job,
because he had done the job with all he had.
Owing me up to seven months makes me feel I
am not being appreciated. It is like they (my
employers) think I am being favoured in what I
am doing.
I am not being favoured. Whatever I am doing
here, I am doing it with everything I have and
I need to be respected and be paid — Keshi
"The lowest point of my career is working and
not being paid for seven to eight months. I
have never had this kind of experience before,"
he said.
The former Super Eagles captain recalled that
he was never owed his salaries when he worked
with the Malian and Togolese football
federations as coach of their senior national
teams.
"In Mali, they will never owe you. Your salary
will hit your account before the end of every
month. It was the same thing in Togo.
"Owing me up to seven months makes me feel
I am not being appreciated. It is like they (my
employers) think I am being favoured in what I
am doing.
"I am not being favoured. Whatever I am doing
here, I am doing it with everything I have and
I need to be respected to be given my pay,"
Keshi said.
He said it was unbelievable that he and his
colleagues had worked without pay for about
eight months out of the 24 months they have
worked with the Super Eagles.
"I don't like discussing about money issues and
if there is any NFA member who said we can
work for free, then I will want to speak with
him face to face.
"If they say we can work for free and that they
are not going to pay, so be it.
"I can't have my family abroad and I will be in
debt because I have not been paid for seven
months and somebody is saying we should not
complain," the coach said.
He regretted that the NFA appears not to be
concerned about their plight "in spite of
training under rain and sun to make Nigerians
happy".
NAN recalls that Aminu Maigari, the NFA
chairman, had recently confirmed the debt
owed Keshi and his colleagues.
He had however said the Nigerian football
governing body could not help it as it was
cash-strapped.
Maigari claimed that the situation had led to
the slashing of the Eagles' winning bonus from
$10,000 to $5,000.
He also pointed out that some NFA members of
staff were being owed for over a year.
Maigari had mentioned those being owed to
include Musa Amadu, the Secretary-General,
Mohammed Sanusi, the Director of
Competitions, and Emmanuel Ikpeme, the
Director of Technical
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