I HAVE NOTHING TO APOLOGISE TO KESHI FOR – PINNICK
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By: Balogun Ibrahim
Former Nigeria Football Federation President, Amaju Pinnick, has dismissed allegations that his administration contributed to the decline of the late Super Eagles coach, Stephen Keshi, insisting that he had no reason to apologise to the former Nigeria captain.
Pinnick made the remarks during the latest episode of The Pinnick Tapes (REMASTERED): NFF Scandals EXposed, published on Sunday Oliseh’s YouTube channel, Global Football Insights With Oliseh, on Friday.
He was responding to a question on whether the strained relationship between the NFF and Keshi during the latter part of his tenure played a role in the decline of the Super Eagles’ golden generation.
Keshi guided Nigeria to victory at the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations and led the team to the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.
Asked what he would apologise to Keshi for if he had the opportunity to meet the late coach today, Pinnick said there was nothing to apologise for.
“There’s no way I would have apologised to Keshi. Keshi, God rest his soul, he was an icon,” Pinnick said.
He also maintained that his relationship with Keshi remained cordial until the coach’s death in 2016.
“We had a very warm relationship until he passed, and when he passed, we were the first people that went,” he added.
Pinnick further denied claims that his administration deliberately worked against Keshi, explaining that decisions concerning the coach were based on reports presented to the federation.
“But there’s no way I would have apologised to Keshi because we didn’t do anything wrong. We did what we did based on report,” he said.
The former NFF president’s comments followed criticism from a self-described “Big Boss loyalist,” who accused his board of contributing to the Super Eagles’ decline following the team’s 2013 AFCON triumph.
The question also referenced the renaming of Asaba Stadium after Keshi and asked whether Pinnick would apologise for the friction that allegedly characterised the coach’s final years with the national team.
Pinnick rejected the allegations, while also pointing to his relationship with Oliseh, who experienced his own difficulties during his tenure as Super Eagles coach.
Oliseh, who conducted the interview, recalled experiencing some of the institutional challenges he believed had also affected Keshi during his time in charge of the national team.
Pinnick, however, maintained that his administration allowed technical officials sufficient room to operate. He said the NFF had various committees tasked with advising the executive committee on football-related matters.
According to him, members of the technical committee and other bodies were given the freedom to make contributions to football administration, provided their recommendations did not conflict with the national interest.
Pinnick’s comments have renewed debate over the management of Nigerian football and the treatment of indigenous coaches. Oliseh also questioned why former Super Eagles players such as Emmanuel Amunike have struggled to secure sustained opportunities with the national team.
Keshi, who died in 2016 at the age of 54, remains one of Nigeria’s most decorated football figures and was the first African to win the Africa Cup of Nations as both a player and a coach.
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