About stephen keshi biography
Stephen Keshi
Nigerian footballer and manager
Stephen Okechukwu KeshiCON (23 January – 7 June ) was a Nigerian football player and manager.
During his playing career, Keshi played as a defender and earned 60 caps for the Nigeria national team, making him the nation's second-most capped player at the time of his retirement. He represented the country at the FIFA World Cup and the Africa Cup of Nations, captaining the Super Eagles to victory in the latter. He also played club football in five countries, most notably Belgium, where he won the Belgian league championship with R.S.C. Anderlecht in [3]
As a manager, Keshi achieved success by qualifying Togo for the only FIFA World Cup appearance in its history in [4] However, he left the position prior to the tournament and was replaced by Otto Pfister. He later coached his native Nigeria, becoming one of only two people, along with Egypt's Mahmoud El-Gohary, to have won the Africa Cup of Nations as both a player and a coach.[5]
Playing career
Keshi started with ACB Lagos in , and joined New Nigerian Bank a year later, where over the course of four years he won 2 WAFU cups.[6] However, in , he was banned by the Nigeria Football Federation from all football activities in Nigeria, so he left for Ivorian Stade d'Abidjan.[7] After helping them win two Coupe Houphouët-Boigny trophies in a year, he left for rivals Africa Sports, where he won the domestic double of the league and the cup.[6] After a playing career mostly with Belgian clubs, where he won the Belgian league championship with R.S.C. Anderlecht in Keshi went to the United States to be educated in coaching.[8]
Coaching career
In , he was joined by Augustine Eguavoen, who once coached the Nigerian national team. They played together in California as the backbone of the defence for the short-lived Sacramento Scorpions. Keshi has been a part of the coaching staff for the Nigerian national team, most notably as head coach for the Junior Eagles at the African Youth Championship which also served as qualification for the FIFA World Youth Championship, without success.[9]
Between and Keshi coached the Togo national team,[10] surprisingly bringing them to their first World Cup tournament, Germany Having secured Togo's unlikely qualification, he was promptly replaced by German coach Otto Pfister prior to the World Cup finals, after Togo showed a dismal performance and failed to advance to the knock-out stage in Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt.[11] However, Pfister did not last beyond a controversial World Cup campaign that nearly resulted in a player's strike over pay and Togo remained without a manager until February when they re-engaged Keshi in time for a friendly against Cameroon.[12]
He worked as manager of the Mali national team, after being appointed in April on a two-year deal.[13] Keshi was sacked in January , after Mali's early exit in the group stages of the Africa Cup of Nations.[14]
Nigeria national team
Keshi became coach of the Nigeria national team in [15][16] He led Nigeria to qualification for the Africa Cup of Nations, which they went on to win, defeating Burkina Faso 1–0 in the final.[17] The following day Keshi handed in his resignation,[18] only to reverse his decision the day after.[19] Keshi led Nigeria to the Confederations Cup, defeated Tahiti 6–1, and lost 2–1 to Uruguay in the second game, and also lost 3–0 to World Cup winners, Spain in their final group game.
On 16 November , Keshi's Nigeria secured qualification to the World Cup by beating Ethiopia 4–1 on aggregate in a play-off.[20] Keshi set a record in African football by being the first African coach to qualify two African nations (Nigeria and Togo) for the World Cup Finals in and in earning him the CAF Coach of the Year on both occasions.[21] He also helped Nigeria to achieve an African Cup of Nations trophy and World Cup qualification, both in like in [22]
Nigeria progressed to the knockout stage of World Cup. They started the tournament with a 0–0 draw against Iran, followed by a controversial 1–0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina. They lost the final group stage match 3–2 against Argentina, but progressed to the knockout stage, courtesy of a 3–1 win by Bosnia and Herzegovina over Iran. The Super Eagles lost to France in the first knock-out round. After the match, Keshi announced his resignation as Super Eagles coach[23] but later reversed the decision after the Nigerian Football Federation renewed his contract.[24]
His team failed to win a single game in the Morocco African Cup of Nations qualifying series and he announced he would move to another job if pressure continues to mount because of certain people, whom he refused to name, were trying to "sabotage" him. However, he stated that he will continue to coach the Super Eagles because he loves the team and he loves his country.[25]
In July , following Nigeria's exit from the World Cup, Keshi's contract with the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) expired and was not renewed.[26] A statement by the NFF Executive Committee said the decision was made, having thoroughly reviewed the reports/findings of the NFF Disciplinary Committee and NFF Technical and Development Committee, as well as having reviewed the actions and inaction of Stephen Keshi, in the performance of his duties as Super Eagles' Head Coach, which NFF found to lack the required commitment to achieve the Federation's objectives as set out in the Coach's employment contract.[27]
Personal life
Keshi was born on 23 January in Azare, Bauchi State. He hailed from Illah in Oshimili North Local Government Area of Delta State and was of Igbo descent. Keshi had his early education at Saint Paul's Catholic Nursery and Primary School, Apapa Road, Lagos State. He proceeded to Saint Finbarrs’ College, Akoka, Lagos in [28] Keshi was married to Kate (née Aburime) for 30 years. She died on 10 December , after battling cancer for three years. They had four children. Their oldest son Kos Keshi played football professionally.[29]
Keshi had a heart attack and died en route to hospital on 7 June in Benin City, aged His wife had died the previous December.[30]
Legacy
Keshi was honoured by Google with a doodle on what would have been his 56th birthday.[31]
Honours
Player[32]
New Nigeria Bank
Stade d'Abidjan
'Africa Sports
Anderlecht[33]
Nigeria
Manager
Nigeria
Individual
Orders
References
- ^"FIFA Player Statistics: Stephen KESHI". Archived from the original on 24 February Retrieved 9 June
- ^"14 things you didn't know about Stephen Keshi". Punch. 8 June Archived from the original on 9 June Retrieved 9 June
- ^"Stephen Keshi will be remembered as an African pioneer". BBC. 8 June
- ^"Time for change in African football?". BBC. 24 May Retrieved 17 September
- ^"Google celebrates Stephen Keshi on posthumous birthday | Premium Times Nigeria". 23 January Retrieved 1 June
- ^ abUzor Maxim Uzoatu (22 January ). "Stephen Keshi the Great". Retrieved 22 August
- ^Sunday Oliseh (13 June ). "Why Keshi's death is not his end". Archived from the original on 15 June Retrieved 22 August
- ^Wilson, Jonathan (8 June ). "Stephen Keshi: brawler, talker and most successful black African coach of all time". The Guardian. ISSN&#; Retrieved 12 January
- ^"Former Coach Stephen Keshi Dies at 54 – – Breaking News, Nigeria, Africa, Worldwide". Retrieved 1 June
- ^"Nigeria's football 'Big Boss' remembered". . Retrieved 4 March
- ^"STEPHEN KESHI: SUCCESS IN FOOTBALL". Retrieved 1 June
- ^"Who will be the next Amavubi boss?". The New Times | Rwanda. 7 October Retrieved 1 June
- ^"Keshi opts for Mali national team". BBC. 2 April Retrieved 6 April
- ^"Stephen Keshi sacked as Mali boss". BBC. 28 January Retrieved 2 November
- ^"NFF to Announce Keshi as Eagles Coach". 2 November Retrieved 2 November
- ^"Stephen Keshi confident of Super Eagles revival". BBC Sport. 3 November Retrieved 12 February
- ^"Nigeria v Burkina Faso – as it happened". Guardian UK. 10 February Retrieved 12 February
- ^"Nigeria coach Stephen Keshi hands in resignation one day after winning African title". . 9 February Retrieved 12 February
- ^"Nigeria's Stephen Keshi reverses resignation and opts to stay on". Guardian UK. 12 February Retrieved 12 February
- ^"World Cup Nigeria beat Ethiopia to book berth in Brazil". BBC. 16 November Retrieved 21 December
- ^Ajala, Opeyemi (7 June ). "REVOLUTIONARY KESHI: My childhood hero". Cable Media and Publishing Limited. Retrieved 9 September
- ^"Stephen Okechukwu Keshi (23 January –8 June )". Vanguard News. 8 June Retrieved 24 May
- ^"Breaking News! Keshi Resigns, Yobo retires from Super Eagles". NNP. 30 June Archived from the original on 18 July Retrieved 30 June
- ^Okeleji, Oluwashina (22 August ). "Keshi 'moves on' from talks to return as Nigeria coach". BBC Sport. Retrieved 21 July
- ^"Stephen Okechukwu Keshi - Football Legend". LifeAndTimes News. 25 January Retrieved 1 June
- ^"Stephen Keshi: Nigeria did not renew my contract". BBC Sport. 2 July Retrieved 21 July
- ^"NFF fires Keshi as Super Eagles coach". . Retrieved 24 May
- ^Oyibode, Austin (September ). "Life and times of late Stephen Okechukwu Keshi". Naij. Lagos.
- ^Keshi Buries Wife January 15 In Benin
- ^"Stephen Keshi: brawler, talker and most successful black African coach of all time". The Guardian. 8 June Archived from the original on 9 June Retrieved 9 June
- ^"Google celebrates Stephen Keshi". The Guardian. 23 January Retrieved 23 January
- ^"Football-The Story | Stephen Keshi".
- ^"Football-The Story | Luc Nilis".
- ^"European Competitions ".
- ^"Winnaars Brugse Metten".
- ^"Keshi is Coach of the Year - Football News - CAF". Retrieved 17 May
- ^Okeleji, Oluwashina (13 February ). "Presidential reward for Super Eagles". Sport. BBC. Lagos. Retrieved 19 March