Nigerian national soccer team coach Stephen Keshi resigned after the Super Eagles exited the World Cup following their defeat to France yesterday.
“It has been a good run and I have enjoyed every moment,” Keshi said in a post on his Twitter account. “It’s been an honor coaching the Super Eagles. It is however time to bow out.”
France beat Nigeria 2-0 in their World Cup last-16 match in Brasilia, the Brazilian capital, last night. The West African nation had progressed beyond the group stages of the quadrennial competition for the first time since 1998.
Keshi, 52, captained the Nigerian national team for more than a decade and played club football in the country, Ivory Coast, Belgium and France. He was assistant national coach in 2002 when Nigeria qualified for the World Cup and later coached the Togolese national team and helped them qualify for the World Cup before being fired just before the tournament.
Known as Big Boss, Keshi later managed Mali’s team and took over as coach of the Super Eagles in 2012, leading them to victory in the Africa Cup of Nations, held in South Africa, last year. South Africa is among countries that have approached him about coaching their national team, he said last week.