Keshi battles Manu for Africa coach of the year Award

Keshi born in 1962 joined Egyptian Mahmoud El Gohary as the only two people to win the Africa Cup of Nations as both player and coach when he led the Super Eagles to their third African title at the 2013 Finals in South Africa.Keshi purged the squad of some supposedly key players and left pundits […]

Keshi born in 1962 joined Egyptian Mahmoud El Gohary as the only two people to win the Africa Cup of Nations as both player and coach when he led the Super Eagles to their third African title at the 2013 Finals in South Africa.
Keshi purged the squad of some supposedly key players and left pundits bewildered by his team selection but he had the last laugh as Nigeria emerged as a credible force throughout 2013 and going into 2014 World Cup finals.
Once they knocked out co-favourites,Ivory Coast in the quarters, Keshi’s charges never looked back and they ended the year with a fifth qualification for the World Cup finals.
There was also a first qualification for African Nations Championship (CHAN) finals to be played from January 11- 1stFebruary 2014 in South Africa.
 The second Nigerian,coach Manu Garba took charge of the Nigeria U-17 in 2011 and the former coach at Nigerian Premier League club, Gombe built a side that would collect silver at the CAF U-17 Championship in 2013 in Morocco and qualify for FIFA World Cup in the same year.
Garba, who played in the first Nigerian team to reach FIFA finals when he won the African U-20 championship of 1983 put together a team that blitzed their way to a fourth World title at U-17 with a 3-0 win over Mexico in that final played in Abu Dhabi, UAE.
 The third nominee,Coach Paul Put of Burkina Faso born in 1956  started his tenure as manager of Burkina Faso in March 2012 and the Belgian masterminded the Stallions’ transformation from rank outsiders to silver medalists at the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations finals in South Africa.
The Belgian molded a side that played entertaining football and surprised all and sundry at AFCON and then followed up this stellar performance by topping Group E of the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
Put took the team to the playoffs where they missed out on first ever World Cup finals by away goal/s rule after a 3-3 aggregate draw with Algeria.
The Stallions’ splendid 2013 continued with first qualification for African Nations Championship (CHAN) by the locally based players a number of who also play for the senior team.
Others nominated for various awards included, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia and Nigeria for the national team of the year award, for the club of the year,Al Ahly of Egypt,CS Sfaxien of Tunisia and Orland Pirates were the nominees.
For the most promising talent award,Ghana’s  under 20 star Ebenezer Assifuah who plies his trade in Switzerland, led the pack that include another under 20  Egypt  star Saleh Gomaa, Nigeria under 17 world cup most valuable player Kelechi Iheanacho and Alexis Yougouda of Cameroon
For the Youth National Team of the Year, Nigeria U-17, the Golden Eaglets were nominated as the sole nominee for the award.
They went farthest by winning the title at the FIFA U-17 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates, beating Mexico 3-0 in the final. It was the fourth time Nigeria had triumphed at that stage after 1985, 1993 and 2007.
The feat confirms the West African country as the most successful in the history of the global cadet championship.