"Don't crucify Keshi if Eagles fail against Congo," says Taribo

Former Nigeria defender, Taribo West, says Super Eagles coach, Stephen Keshi, should not be crucified if the national team put up a poor performance against Congo in their 2015 Africa Cup of
Nations qualifier against Congo on Saturday in Calabar.

Keshi’s contract has not been renewed by the Nigeria Football Federation, after it expired during the 2014 World Cup.

The coach will be in charge of the African champions against Congo and the next game against South Africa’s Bafana, four days later, on interim basis.

Taribo said poor administration has been the bane of the game in Nigeria.

     "I believe the Eagles will give
      their best but nobody should
      crucify Keshi if the team does
      not perform on Saturday. It’s
      not about the match, it’s about
      the structure of our football,"
      the former Inter Milan centre-
      back said.

     "Do the football administrators
      know anything about football? 
      In other parts of the world,
      football administration
      involves people who played the
      game. It’s only in Africa that
      you have government officials
      in football administration and
      it cost Nigeria, Cameroon and
      even Ghana dearly at the
      World Cup."

The Olympic gold medalist added that the manner in which the game is administered in Nigeria, has contributed partly to the poor form of the country’s footballers based abroad.