Gullit on NFF radar as Keshi denies he was sacked

The search for a competent expatriate to take charge of Nigerian football may have been narrowed down to Dutch legend, Ruud Gullit even as there were speculations that former Germany captain, Lothar Matthaus, was also been considered.

Although no Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) official was willing to confirm or deny these speculations, a top football source at the Glass House in Abuja at the weekend gave a hint that Gullit may be the preferred candidate.

Even top football site, AfricanFootball.com, also reported yesterday that moves have been made to sound out Gullit as the country's new coach.

With Stephen Keshi's exit from the Eagles job he has been handling on a temporary basis since the expiration of his contract at the World Cup in Brazil last summer, the NFF made it clear that Shaibu Amodu's appointment was only for the remaining AFCON 2015 against Congo and South Africa next month.

“Nigeria's contacts in Europe are first to sound out Gullit whether he will be open to handle the Super Eagles and if he would be available,” a top source told AfricanFootball.com

“It will be only after this contact that other considerations like the duration of the contract and the personal terms of Gullit would be tabled.”

The 52-year-old Gullit last coached Russian club, Terek Grozny in 2011. He has most recently worked as a TV pundit for SuperSport and BBC.

He has coached English Premier League clubs Chelsea and Newcastle United as well as Dutch side, Feyenoord and Los Angeles Galaxy in the MLS.

He led Chelsea to win the FA Cup in 1997 and is best remembered for his “Sexy Football”.

Meanwhile, Keshi has insisted that he was never sacked from the Eagles job because he never had a contract for a second term from the NFF.

He said that he was surprised on how the news of his disengagement from Eagles was disseminated as was sacked.

“I am not happy with the way media people are reporting this to the public, because I don't understand how you would fire someone that has no contract.

“My contract expired after the World Cup in Brazil, and I never made any effort for my contract to be renewed because of so many issues on the ground.

“I have accepted my fate, and I would move on with my life, but I want to make it clear that I was never sacked because I had no contract,” Keshi told supersport.com

It has been widely reported that Keshi had revealed that three African countries have showed interest in him to be their national team coach, but Keshi said that he never said such.

“I have never told anybody that three African countries are looking for me, and as far as I'm concerned, no nation has called me for any talk,” he added to supersport.com.

The Super Eagles must win their next two games against Congo and South Africa to have any chance of qualifying for next year's Africa Cup of Nations, and Keshi believes Nigeria would qualify for the championship.

“I know Nigeria would qualify for the 2015 Nations Cup because we have the players that can do the job, but they need a lot of encouragement and support from Nigerians and I wish them good luck in their next two games,” Keshi said to supersport.com in Ilorin