NFF plans on reporting Ivory Coast to Fifa if indeed it did try to poach Keshi

NIGERIA is considering dragging Ivory Coast before Fifa after indications that the Ivorians tried to poach Super Eagles head coach Stephen Keshi as the new manager for their national team the Elephants.

 

Over the last week, Keshi and the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) have been involved in a rancorous dispute over claims that he applied for the vacant Ivorian job. Keshi has denied the allegations, saying that it is not his fault if he is being linked with available jobs as he cannot control speculation.

 

Earlier this week, Keshi had been summoned before the NFF's Organising and Disciplinary Committee, where he denied having anything to do with the Ivorian job. After the hearing, NFF disciplinary committee vice-president Iyke Igbokwe, said that the committee would recommend the dismissal of Keshi if it were proven he applied to manage African champions Ivory Coast.

 

Amid the possibility that Keshi did not apply for the job and it might have been the Ivorians that contacted him, the NFF is now considering reporting the African champions to Fifa and the Confederation of Africa Football (Caf). For now, the NFF will officially write the Federation Ivoirienne de Football (FIF) over Keshi being shortlisted for the vacant job of the Ivory Coast national team manager.

 

One NFF official said: “The truth is that if we find out that Keshi didn’t actually apply for the job we might have to take immediate action, including taking them to Caf and possibly Fifa. We will contact the Ivorian FA, so the process of investigation into the matter is still ongoing.”

 

Keshi was last week named in a 60-man shortlist released by the Ivorian football federation which has irked the NFF. Currently into the second month of a two-year contract he signed with the NFF, Keshi is contracted to manage the Eagles until the end of the 2017 African Cup of Nations.