The reasons behind the delay in the re-appointment of Stephen Keshi as head coach of the Nigeria national team have been uncovered by supersport.com.

   NFF explains delay in new Keshi deal

Keshi replaced Samson Siasia as Nigeria head coach in 2011 following the latter's failure to steer the Super Eagles to a place at the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea.

Nigeria won the 2013 Afcon in South Africa under Keshi's leadership and he also guided the Super Eagles to the 2014 FIfa World Cup finals where the team reached the second round.

His contract ran out after the 2014 World Cup but on July 30, the executive committee of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) resolved that "a three –man committee (had been) appointed to open channels of communication with Mr Stephen Keshi on the probability of contract renewal for the Super Eagles’ head coach job."

Nigeria's next competitive game is a 2015 Afcon qualifier against Rwanda on September 5 and with exactly a month to the game, the Super Eagles have no substantive head coach.

A member of the NFF's executive committee, Chris Green has now explained why the talks with Keshi have not yet been completed.

"For me, Stephen Keshi has done very well for the country but again before any decision is taken, we need to have an appraisal of what he has done and what he has brought to the table," Green told supersport.com.

Keshi endured a complicated and sometimes, stormy relationship with the NFF in his first spell as coach but Green revealed that exhaustive steps will be taken to ensure that " further skirmishes (would be avoided) when he takes over the team for the second time."

"We will also be evaluating how he conducted himself and the team during his first stint. There were certain issues that arose during that time and we will explore ways to deal with them with a view to correcting them in future.

"We will want to avoid further skirmishes when he takes over the team for the second time. An employee needs to be an employee and an employer, an employer.

"People should be made to obey the terms of their contracts and codes of conduct. There must be mutual respect between both parties and once those things are done, he will be asked to continue," he said.

supersport.com