Out of contract Super Eagles coach, Stephen Keshi’s woes continued as search for a job met brickwall as AFCON host, Equatorial Guinea turned down his application to take over the helms of affairs in the Central African country.
According to a wire report by supersport.com, the country’s federation in a statement said they would rather stick with their coach, Andoni Goikoetxea, whose contract runs out this December. The decision however, came after an initial call for applications for a new manager.
The federation’s president Domingo Mituy Edjang said yesterday that time was too short to recruit a new hand ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations to be held in the central African nation from January 17 to February 8, 2015.
“We cannot replace a coach with less than one month to the competition,†Edjang said.
“We have a contract with Goikoetxea which expires on December 31, 2014 but due to time factor, we have decided to extend it to cover the AFCON.â€
Former Ghana coach Milovan Rajevac and Nigeria’s Stephen Keshi had applied for the job alongside several others, according to the FA.
The Nzalang Nacional is currently in Lisbon, Portugal to carry out preparations for the tournament.
The Spanish coach left with 15 home-based players who will be joined by the foreign legion. They will return on January 15, officials said.