 Keshi in 2005 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Stephen Okechukwu Keshi | ||
| Date of birth | (1962-01-23)23 January 1962[1][2] | ||
| Place of birth | Azare,Bauchi State, Nigeria | ||
| Date of death | 7 June 2016(2016-06-07) (aged 54) | ||
| Place of death | Benin City,Edo State, Nigeria | ||
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||
| Position | Defender | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1979 | ACB Lagos | 10 | (1) |
| 1980–1984 | New Nigeria Bank | 42 | (4) |
| 1985 | Stade d'Abidjan | 13 | (2) |
| 1986 | Africa Sports | 22 | (2) |
| 1986–1987 | Lokeren | 28 | (6) |
| 1987–1991 | Anderlecht | 99 | (18) |
| 1991–1993 | Strasbourg | 62 | (9) |
| 1993–1994 | RWDM | 40 | (1) |
| 1995 | CCV Hydra | 20 | (1) |
| 1996 | Sacramento Scorpions | 16 | (3) |
| 1997–1998 | Perlis FA | 34 | (4) |
| Total | 386 | (51) | |
| International career | |||
| 1981–1995 | Nigeria | 64 | (9) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2004–2006 | Togo | ||
| 2007–2008 | Togo | ||
| 2008–2010 | Mali | ||
| 2011 | Togo | ||
| 2011–2014 | Nigeria | ||
| 2015 | Nigeria | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Stephen Okechukwu KeshiListenⓘCON (23 January 1962 – 7 June 2016) was a Nigerianfootball player andmanager.
During his playing career, Keshi played as adefender and earned 60 caps for theNigeria national team, making him the nation's second-most capped player at the time of his retirement. He represented the country at the1994 FIFA World Cup and the1994 Africa Cup of Nations, captaining the Super Eagles to victory in the latter. He also played club football in five countries, most notably Belgium, where he won theBelgian league championship withR.S.C. Anderlecht in 1991.[3]
As a manager, Keshi achieved success by qualifyingTogo for the onlyFIFA World Cup appearance in its history in2006.[4] However, he left the position prior to the 2006 tournament and was replaced byOtto Pfister. He later coached his nativeNigeria, becoming one of only two people, along withEgypt'sMahmoud El-Gohary, to have won theAfrica Cup of Nations as both a player and a coach.[5]
Keshi started withACB Lagos in 1979, and joinedNew Nigerian Bank a year later, where over the course of four years he won 2WAFU cups.[6] However, in 1984, he was banned by theNigeria Football Federation (NFF) from all football activities in Nigeria, so he left for IvorianStade d'Abidjan.[7] It was the signing of the contract with Stade d'Abidjan that drew the ire of the NFF in banning Keshi. After helping Stade win twoCoupe Houphouët-Boigny trophies in a year, he left for rivalsAfrica Sports, where he won the domestic double of theleague and thecup.[6] After a playing career mostly with Belgian clubs, where he won the Belgian league championship with R.S.C. Anderlecht in 1991. Keshi went to the United States to be educated in coaching.[8]
In 1996, he was joined byAugustine Eguavoen, who once coached the Nigerian national team. They played together in California as the backbone of the defence for the short-livedSacramento Scorpions. Keshi has been a part of the coaching staff for the Nigerian national team, most notably as head coach for theJunior Eagles at the2001 African Youth Championship which also served as qualification for the2001 FIFA World Youth Championship, without success.[9]
Between 2004 and 2006 Keshi coached theTogo national team,[10] surprisingly bringing them to their first World Cup tournament,Germany 2006. Having secured Togo's unlikely qualification, he was promptly replaced by German coachOtto Pfister prior to the World Cup finals, after Togo showed a dismal performance and failed to advance to the knock-out stage in2006 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt.[11] However, Pfister did not last beyond a controversial World Cup campaign that nearly resulted in a player's strike over pay and Togo remained without a manager until February 2007 when they re-engaged Keshi in time for a friendly againstCameroon.[12]
He worked as manager of theMali national team, after being appointed in April 2008 on a two-year deal.[13] Keshi was sacked in January 2010, after Mali's early exit in the group stages of the2010 Africa Cup of Nations.[14]
Keshi became coach of theNigeria national team in 2011.[15][16] He led Nigeria to qualification for the2013 Africa Cup of Nations, which they went on to win, defeatingBurkina Faso 1–0 in the final.[17] The following day Keshi handed in his resignation,[18] only to reverse his decision the day after.[19] Keshi led Nigeria to the2013 Confederations Cup, defeatedTahiti 6–1, and lost 2–1 toUruguay in the second game, and also lost 3–0 to World Cup winners,Spain in their final group game.
On 16 November 2013, Keshi's Nigeria secured qualification to the2014 World Cup by beatingEthiopia 4–1 on aggregate in aplay-off.[20] Keshi set a record in African football by being the first African coach to qualify two African nations (Nigeria and Togo) for the World Cup Finals in 2005 and in 2013 earning him the CAF Coach of the Year on both occasions.[21] He also helped Nigeria to achieve an African Cup of Nations trophy and World Cup qualification, both in 2013 like in 1994.[22]
Nigeria progressed to the knockout stage of2014 World Cup. They started the tournament with a 0–0 draw againstIran, followed by a controversial 1–0 win overBosnia and Herzegovina. They lost the final group stage match 3–2 againstArgentina, but progressed to the knockout stage, courtesy of a 3–1 win by Bosnia and Herzegovina over Iran. The Super Eagles lost to France in the first knock-out round. After the match, Keshi announced his resignation as Super Eagles coach[23] but later reversed the decision after the Nigerian Football Federation renewed his contract.[24]
His team failed to win a single game in the Morocco2015 African Cup of Nations qualifying series and he announced he would move to another job if pressure continues to mount because of certain people, whom he refused to name, were trying to "sabotage" him. However, he stated that he will continue to coach the Super Eagles because he loves the team and he loves his country.[25]
In July 2014, following Nigeria's exit from the World Cup, Keshi's contract with theNigeria Football Federation (NFF) expired and was not renewed.[26] A statement by the NFF Executive Committee said the decision was made, having thoroughly reviewed the reports/findings of the NFF Disciplinary Committee and NFF Technical and Development Committee, as well as having reviewed the actions and inaction of Stephen Keshi, in the performance of his duties as Super Eagles' Head Coach, which NFF found to lack the required commitment to achieve the Federation's objectives as set out in the Coach's employment contract.[27]
Keshi was born on 23 January 1962 inAzare,Bauchi State. He hailed fromIllah inOshimili North Local Government Area ofDelta State and was ofIgbo descent. Keshi had his early education at Saint Paul's Catholic Nursery and Primary School, Apapa Road,Lagos State. He proceeded to Saint Finbarrs’ College,Akoka,Lagos in 1976.[28]Keshi was married to Kate (née Aburime) for 30 years. She died on 10 December 2015, after battling cancer for three years. They had four children. Their oldest son Kos Keshi played football professionally.[29]
Keshi had aheart attack and died en route to hospital on 7 June 2016 inBenin City, aged 54. His wife had died the previous December.[30]
Keshi was honoured byGoogle with adoodle on what would have been his 56th birthday.[31]
New Nigeria Bank
Stade d'Abidjan
Africa Sports
Anderlecht
Nigeria
Nigeria
Orders
Commander of theOrder of the Niger[37]Date Of Birth 23 Jan 1962
He was born on January 23, 1962.
The former Nigeria and Togo manager, who died on Tuesday evening aged just 54... [...] Keshi, who died on Tuesday evening [7 June 2016] aged just 54 [indicates he was born 1962]...
International tournaments | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
