Keshi finally loses to Esteban Becker as Equatorial Guinea Coach

Hopes of Nigeria’s manager Stepen Okechukwu Keshi landing a job with the Equatorial Guinean Football Federation (FEGUIFUT) ahead of the AFCON 2015 dimmed as the federation President, Andres Jorge Mbomio Nsem Abua, has officially put paid to the issue following the hiring of coach Esteban Becker Churukian as the new national coach.

According to an official statement release on the Confederation of African Football, CAF website, the agreement was reached after the settlement with the former coach, Andoni Goikoetxea.

Esteban Becker will lead host nation Equatorial Guinea at the Africa Cup of Nations after being appointed head coach yesterday.

With little time until the start of the tournament on January 17, the federation moved quickly to appoint Becker.

The Argentinian had previously been in charge of the women’s side – whom he led to glory in the 2012 African Women’s Championship – and had been the country’s technical director overseeing all teams.

Equatorial Guinea – who stepped in to stage the event after Morocco was stripped of the rights having requested a postponement due to safety fears over the spread of Ebola in the continent – will kick off the tournament and begin their Group A campaign against Congo, before further tests against Burkina Faso and Gabon.

The official presentation of Esteban Becker will take place when the team returns to Equatorial Guinea, after the friendly match to be played today against Cape Verde in Lisbon.

Equatorial Guinea, host of the 2015 Orange Africa Cup of Nations is housed in Group A with neighbours, Gabon, regional rivals Congo and Burkina Faso.