The leadership of Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has expressed disappointment over a statement of Super Eagles Chief Coach, Stephen Keshi that the wives of the players would be allowed to go with their husbands to Brazil for the FIFA World Cup competition.
According to a representative of the NFF who spoke anonymously to journalists, the issue had earlier been discussed and agreed upon, that wives accompanying the players would only mean distraction to them.
“There was a meeting of which Keshi was part where it was stated that having the wives with the players will be a distraction, hence it should not be approved”, the NFF official said.
He further stated other issues discussed earlier with Keshi, saying that because NFF agreed with him, not to bring in a foreign physical trainer, he should also respect NFF’s no-wife-in-Brazil stand.
“That particular meeting was when the issue of a foreign fitness trainer was mooted, which Keshi rejected. Mind you, we did not impose the foreigner, we actually asked for his opinion. So, we cannot understand why Keshi would go ahead to say what he said”, the NFF bos added.
Keshi had told the press that allowing the players to take their wives along to the competition would be a big psychological boost to them. He had applauded the idea at a media parley organised by Tom Tom, an official partner of the NFF, last week in Lagos.
But the NFF official argued that Keshi is aware of the financial situation of the federation, that it does not have adequate financial muscle to sponsor players and their spouses, so he should not have flaunted the idea again. It is unclear, though, if the N2 billion approved for the team’s World Cup campaign covers the players’ partners.
In 1994, when Keshi captained the team to the World Cup in United States of America (USA), the spouses of married players were sponsored to the competition by the government. This may be the reason why Keshi, having experienced the benefits of having the players’ wives with them during the competition, is advocating strongly for it again.
However, the NFF boss revealed that the issue would be resolved at the next meeting with Keshi in Abuja on Monday.
