2014 World Cup woes leave coaches jobless

NIGERIA'S Stephen Keshi became the latest coach to announce he's leaving his job following Monday's World Cup second-round defeat to France.

But the tournament had already brought to an end several managerial careers.

Here are some of the coaches who quit or were removed from their posts after their teams couldn't make it in Brazil:

l Sabri Lamouchi: Ivory Coast - Frenchman Lamouchi was widely castigated for his tactics in the Elephants' last group match against Greece, which they lost after conceding a last-minute penalty. The 42-year old decided to quit, saying: "It is logical [to go] as we did not do well at last year's Africa Cup of Nations or at the World Cup finals."

lCesare Prandelli: Italy -

Prandelli announced he was leaving his R50-million per year salary after the Azzurri bombed out at the first hurdle for the second World Cup running, following on the footsteps of Marcelo Lippi, who quit after Italy failed to advance to the knockout phase in South Africa four years ago.

lCarlos Queiroz: Iran -

Bafana Bafana's target Queiroz announced he would leave Iran even before they were knocked out, citing difficult working conditions due to sanctions imposed on the Mid-eastern nation.

Forbes says he earned $2098060 (about R22-million) per year. Reports claim he's keen to return to Bafana Bafana for the second time.

lAlberto Zaccheroni: Japan - Zaccheroni's departure was confirmed after the Asian nation finished bottom of a group including Greece, Ivory Coast and Colombia, ending a four-year spell at the helm.

lFernando Santos: Greece - Portuguese Santos saw his contract expire on Monday, a day after his side lost to Costa Rica. Indications are that he had fraught relations with the football association in spite of leading Greece to a historic knockout phase.