Imama Amapakabo retained for Nigeria U23's ahead of Salisu Yusuf

Imama Amapakabo was second assistant to Super Eagles coach Gernot Rohr at the recent World Cup in Russia

Salisu Yusuf's future in charge of Nigeria's under-23 side and its team for locally-based players remains unclear, after the country's football federation (NFF) retained Imama Amapakabo as coach for both squads.

The 57-year-old Yusuf, who still has a contract with the NFF, has just returned from serving a one-year ban after he was caught on camera taking cash from men posing as football agents.

Amapakabo, 50, will continue to prepare his squad for the Under-23 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt, which are also the qualifiers for the men's football tournament at next year's Olympic Games in Tokyo.

To help with those preparations he will also be in charge of Nigeria's team of locally-based players for this weekend's 2020 African Nations Championship qualifier in Togo.

"As a way of preparing the under-23 boys for the Under-23 Afcon (Africa Cup of Nations) finals in Egypt, the Nigeria Football Federation has decided that the under-23 squad, without the overseas-based professionals but with a number of home-based added, will play in the CHAN qualifying fixture," the NFF said in a statement.

"Amapakabo's charges have another ample pre-Afcon preparatory platform awaiting at the 2nd WAFU (West African Football Union) Cup of Nations, in Thies, Senegal as from 28 September."

The NFF's executive committee will meet at a later date to decide the future of Yusuf, who was also assistant coach for the senior national team future.

BBC Sport understands that the football authority was prepared to restore Yusuf to his roles, but the public outcry which greeted the news forced a rethink.

Amapakabo was second assistant to Nigeria's senior team's coach Gernot Rohr at the 2018 World Cup in Russia and worked with Yusuf as Nigeria finished runners-up at last year's African Nations Championship (CHAN) in Morocco.

His immediate task will be to secure a return to the CHAN event in Cameroon and retain their continental title at the U-23 Cup of Nations scheduled for Egypt in November.

The event serves as a qualifying tournament for the 2020 Olympics, where the top three teams will book their place in Tokyo.

Nigeria - bronze medallists at Rio 2016 - won the 1996 Olympic football tournament and are the first African country to complete an Olympic medal sweep having won a sliver medal in Beijing in 2008.