The ever twisting tale about renewing Stephen Keshi's contract as Nigeria coach has taken a new twist with Keshi accusing his country's football federation of offering him a "slave contract".
Since the Super Eagles coach's initial three-year contract expired in June last year, the NFF has been footdragging on the issue of handing him a new contract, with many in the former NFF leadership of Aminu Maigari and in the new leadership of Amaju Pinnick not favourably disposed to the 53-year-old tactician being retained.
However Keshi has powerful friends in the country's presidency who want his contract renewed because they believe he did well for the team after winning the 2013 Nations Cup crown and taking the Super Eagles to the last-16 of the 2014 World Cup.
When Keshi was sacked by the Pinnick exco during the AFCON qualifiers in October last year, the Nigerian president Goodluck Jonathan was reported to have ordered his reinstatement.
The former Togo and Mali boss then failed to secure qualification for the 2015 AFCON, leading to widespread calls for his sack in Nigeria. However it is believed that the fear of the presidency has forced the NFF to keep Keshi in the picture while devising ways to delay offering him a new deal in the hope that he gets another job elsewhere.
Following Equatorial Guinea and Burkina Faso recently overlooking the former Nigeria skipper, the NFF has now tabled an offer that Keshi finds frustrating.
"From the clauses I have seen so far, I don't know what words to use but the contract can be described as a 'slave contract'", he said.
The new offer is a two-year contract expected to take effect from March 1, but Keshi would be required to sign a code of conduct. It comes with several targets the NFF expects Keshi to achieve, failing which the deal would be voided.
The contract will also pay Keshi five million naira monthly - same as in his first stint, but the recent devaluation of the naira means he gets less value in US dollars.
The Super Eagles begin a new phase of development next month with two friendlies scheduled against Bolivia and Ghana on March 26 and March 29. Story by Ghana/Joy Sports
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