Salisu gets Partial Pardon as NFF footdrags on official announcement

By Adewale Ajayi

The Nigeria football federation is cleverly playing on the intelligence of Nigerians with the reported return of Salisu Yusuf as head coach of the Under 23 National team.

The football house made a futile attempt to test the waters when they unofficially welcomed the former Kano Pillars chief coach back to a position he vacated following a one year ban clamped on him by the football house for off the field malpractices.

In the last paragraph of a hurriedly written press release congratulating coach Imama Amapakabo and his wards for picking a ticket to the CAF Under 23 Nations cup in Egypt, the NFF cleverly announced the return of Salisu while also thanking Imama for holding forth as chief coach in his absence.

Plans to return Salisu through the back door started clandestinely when the football house attempted to secure traveling Visa for him to travel with the super eagles for Tuesday’s friendly match with Ukraine. That attempt was greeted with whispering protests as many wanted to know the rationale behind his quick return.

After that failed attempt, came this subtle but intelligent move orchestrated by egg heads in the football house who are desperate to bring back a man that has failed to tender any form of apology to millions of football fans who felt disappointed by the unholy act of collecting bribe on National assignment.

It beats the imagination of many that the NFF refused to give Imama a contract as chief coach of the super eagles after the suspension of Salisu even when it is on record that his predecessor was on a 5million naira per month salary as assistant to Gernot Rohr.

The NFF kept giving flimsy excuses that Imama is an assistant coach but failed to realise that the man occupying same position he now occupies was on contract and smiles to the bank monthly, five million naira richer.

This latest attempt to ridicule the jinx breaking former coach of Rangers international of Enugu was met with strong protests by sports journalists who condemned in strong terms the attempt to return a man who has committed an offence by soiling his hands with blood money.

In the coming days, the picture will get clearer as to what are the true intentions of the orchestrators of this evil plan as many wait with daggers well sharpened ready to fight back