STEPHEN Keshi, who leads Safa's shortlist of candidates to replace Gordon Igesund, has stepped down as coach of Nigeria, leading to questions about whether he'll take over the vacant Bafana job.

Keshi resigned after the Super Eagles were knocked out of the World Cup in Brazil following a 2-0 defeat to France on Monday. The Nigerian Football Federation has remained tight-lipped, but the door is wide open for Safa to swoop in.

Bafana are without a coach since Safa's decision not to renew Igesund's contract when it expires next month.

Keshi is now a free agent and was quoted by the BBC and FIFA.com saying "it's time for me to go back to my family and face fresh challenges".

Safa CEO Dennis Mumble was unavailable to comment yesterday on whether the association had reacted to news of Keshi's resignation.

Appointed coach of Nigeria in 2011, Keshi led the Super Eagles to the Africa Cup of Nations title in South Africa last year before helping them secure a place at the World Cup in Brazil where they faced Iran, Bosnia and Herzegovina as well as Argentina in Group F.

Reports emerged during the World Cup group stage matches that Keshi had agreed a two-year contract with Safa to succeed Igesund. But Safa, in a statement, dismissed any links to the Nigeria coach, saying an announcement would be made in mid-July when the soccer showpiece was over.

Keshi tops the list of Bafana hopefuls. Carlos Queiroz, who led Iran at the World Cup, Dick Advocaat and Frank Rijkaard complete the list of candidates. Giovanni Trapattoni, who was also short-listed, has revealed himself as the next Ivory Coast head coach.

Two more European coaches in Juande Ramos and Bernd Schuster have thrown their names into the hat, and Sowetan has seen an email sent to Safa by their agent, who believes the two former Real Madrid managers would be a "good fit" for Bafana. Ramos has opted not to renew his contract with Ukraine side Dnipro, while Schuster was sacked by Spanish club Malaga after just one season.

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