Monday, October 10, 2005

Keshi: Rejected at home, leads Togo to first World Cup
By Folake Olujimi and Lekan Okusan

WHEN Coach Stephen Okechukwu Keshi of Togo was telling anybody who cared to listen in May 2004 that what he hoped to achieve in Togo was to get to the 2006 World Cup and Nations Cup, many football pundits took the former Super Eagles skipper as a joker.

Keshi

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But the Delta State-born coach knew what he was saying, and pursued his ambition with a lot of tenacity and confidence. The Togo Football Federation stood behind the 43-year-old tutor in their quest to achieve the country's biggest ever sports dream.

In his first test, Keshi's Togo fell by 0-1 to the Chipolopolo of Zambia in Lusaka, but he did not panic, as his major agenda was to resolve the frosty relationship between Togo's foreign-based players and the federation.

The task of achieving the near-impossible did not bother the former Nigerian defender, when he signed a two-year deal to manage the West African side. Even the fact that Togo was his first time in charge of any national team did not bother him.

Keshi believed that Eyadema's Togo was blessed with a lot of good players that could stand 'shoulder-to-shoulder' with any team in the world. And so he set out to assemble these resources in his patient move to build a virile team.

The first task before the former Anderletch of Belgium star was to rekindle the patriotism of the country's Europe-based players, who he saw as key to any realistic chance they had of qualifying for the mundial.

And Keshi's task was made easier by the late Togolese President, Gnassingbe Eyadema, who was one Togolese fan desperate to see the Hawks qualify for Egypt.

In fact, Eyadema's main interest was in seeing Togo at the African Cup of Nations; and a few days after Keshi's appointment, he invited the coach to plead with him to do everything possible to lead the team to Egypt, while also assuring him of his support.

Apart from the support of the number one citizen of the country, many Togolese football fans believed he could also accomplish the task of taking the country to the World Cup. And true to their prediction, Togo will be among the world's best teams in Germany next year.

Keshi's achievement with Togo is a watershed in the history of the tiny country. Many football pundits believe that going to Germany 2006 will bring all sorts of gains to the country, as the feat is expected to attract the world's searchlight on it.

At the weekend, the Hawks of Togo secured their first World Cup qualification in the war-torn Congo Brazzaville after defeating Congo by 3-2 to deny Senegal, who prayed for Togo to lose for them to feature in their second appearance at the fiesta.

The team ranked a modest 54th in the world made history with goals from Monaco striker Emmanuel Adebayor, Ma Diafar and Kader.

With the win, the record of the Togolese team improved to seven victories, two draws and one defeat to leave them on 23 points, two ahead of 2002 FIFA World Cup quarter-finalists Senegal and four ahead of Zambia.

The result left The Hawks with the prospect of rubbing shoulders with the likes of world champions Brazil in Germany next year while the continent's traditional football giants like Nigeria and Senegal watch proceedings back home.

The top-flight performance in the competition has earned the team, which failed to qualify for last year's African Nations Cup, a place in the 2006 African Nations Cup finals in Egypt.

The sparkling performance of the Hawks cannot be highlighted without credit to Keshi, who has contributed a lot to the current form of the team. This is a man who has built the Hawks into a formidable squad and a force to be reckoned with in Africa.

Born in Nigeria on January 23, 1962, the former Super Eagles' captain, who is also fondly called "Big Boss", had a remarkable playing career and is also one of Nigeria's most famous footballers. He played division one football in Nigeria from 1979 to 1984 before moving on to Cote d'Ivoire and later Belgium where he played for Anderlecht FC.

During his time at Anderlecht, he won the Belgian Cup twice in 1988 and 1989. He also played for Strasbourg in France and later moved to USA before he finally quit playing active football.

On the international scene, the former defender played for Nigeria in five African Nations Cup finals in 1982, 1984, 1988, 1992 and 1994.

Well respected and having the knack in undertaking a leadership role, Keshi spent 13 years with the national team. He won the '94 African Nations Cup with Super Eagles and was also fortunate enough to play in a World Cup tournament before his playing career ended, with an appearance for the Super Eagles in the 1994 World Cup finals.

Well experienced in both African and European football, Keshi could not turn away from the sport completely after hanging up his boots. Instead, he decided to undertake coaching courses in the United States of America. This new profession he eventually used as a tool to further contribute to Nigerian football when he was part of the coaching crew.

Just as many normally face highs and lows in their professions, things did not work out well for Keshi while he was coach of Nigeria's U-20 side. The team had a poor performance when they participated in the CAF U-20 championship in Ethiopia in 2001.

The 43-year-old was assistant coach alongside then head Coach Amodu Shaibu and guided the Super Eagles in the 2002 African Nations Cup in Mali and also qualified the team for the 2002 World Cup Finals in Japan/South Korea after Dutch coach Jo Bonfrere was sacked. However, he and the coaching staff were relieved of their duties after Nigeria's poor campaign at the Nations Cup finals, which could only but earn them the bronze medal.

In Togo, Keshi has not only shown his competence as coach, but transformed Togo from a team considered minow to one of Africa's most in-form teams.

Coach Keshi has already earned a lot of praise, not only in Togo but also from his Nigerian fans and some of his former colleagues.

His tenure with the Hawks started in April 2004 when he signed a two-year deal and took over the team from Brazilian Antonio Dumas. Since then, he has been able to move things in a positive direction in an attempt to get them qualified for two top competitions, the 2006 World Cup and African Nations Cup finals.

It is now that many Nigerians will be proud that their fellow countryman and former Super Eagles player is already flying high with another national team and hope that he would some day be given another opportunity to render his coaching services to Nigeria.