Nigeria head coach, Stephen Keshi, has pleaded with the nation's football federation to reinstate his assistants, Sylvanus Okpala and Valere Houandinou. Keshi, 51, revealed he made the plea to the leadership of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) in a meeting at the instance of the country's sports minister, Bolaji Abdullahi, on Tuesday.
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The meeting held at the office of the minister in Abuja was to end the disagreement between Keshi and the football federation which got to a head after Nigeria's Super Eagles emerged champions of the Africa Cup of Nations in February.
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Keshi said he told the meeting that Okpala and Houandinou are key men in his team, adding that they are needed for the 2014 Fifa World Cup qualifiers and 2013 Fifa Confederations Cup in Brazil.
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"The discussions went well. I must thank the minister for his role on this matter. We are all focused on the World Cup qualifiers and want to pick a ticket to Brazil, and that has always remain a priority. But I've pleaded with them to restore my backroom staff. I told them that my assistant coaches, Sylvanus Okpala and Valere Houandinou are very important to the team's progress and I'll like them to be restored to the team.
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"We worked together as a team and won the Africa Cup of Nations - that is team work. The players are now used to working with these men. So I'm making a case that they are recalled so that we can continue to get improved results," said Keshi.
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Last month, the football federation embarked on a downsizing exercise in the Super Eagles and explained that it was meant to cut expenses.