Stephen Keshi has dismissed talk of a feud with Malawi coach Tom Saintfiet, and insists he was defending Nigeria from false accusations.
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Keshi took exception to the Belgian tactician's request
to have the upcoming World Cup qualifier moved from Calabar on the grounds of safety concerns, and a subsequent war of words has erupted between the pair.
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The Super Eagles coach, however, insists that he was merely defending his country from what he considers unfounded accusations, and that he has no personal issue with his Flames counterpart.
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"I was just standing up for my country when someone tries to make insinuations that it is not a safe place," he told SuperSport.
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The Africa Cup of Nations-winning coach also admits that Saintfeit's concerns come as a surprise considering he was set to take up a director of football role with the Nigeria national team just last year.
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"I have nothing against Saintfiet, he was in Nigeria recently and we shook hands and had a few things we discussed," he added.
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"I just was very unhappy that a man who last year was prepared to work for and in Nigeria with a four year contract can all of a sudden start to describe the place as 'unsafe' so am not having that."
Stephen Keshi should just try as much as possible to do things right and focus on winning more crucial games for the Super Eagles of Nigeria!