Stephen Keshi has been sacked as the coach of Nigeria’s national team the Super Eagles because of his decision to apply for the vacant Ivory Coast job, GHANAsoccernet.com can exclusively reveal.

The 53-year old was fired on Saturday night for breach of contract even though he has two years left on his deal with the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF),
Ghana’s leading football news outlet www.ghanasoccernet.com can report.

The NFF’s Disciplinary Committee took the decision on Saturday following investigations into why he applied for the Elephants job when he was secured in his job as the Super Eagles head coach.

The Disciplinary Committee pres¬ented its report to the exec¬utive board of NFF who ratified the decision to sack the Africa Cup of Nations winning coach for breach of faith.

A statement from the football house stated “having thoroughly reviewed the reports/findings of the NFF Disciplinary Committee and NFF Technical and Development Committee, as well as having reviewed the actions and inactions of Mr. Stephen Keshi, in the performance of his duties as Super Eagles’ Head Coach, which we found to lack the required commitment to achieve the Federation’s objectives as set out in the Coach’s employment contract.”

Keshi has been under fire since a report broke out he had applied for the vacant Ivory Coast job and it that has effectively put paid to his reign as the coach of the national team.

“Having thoroughly reviewed the reports/findings of the NFF Disciplinary Committee and NFF Technical and Development Committee, as well as having reviewed the actions and inactions of Mr. Stephen Keshi, in the performance of his duties as Super Eagles’ Head Coach, which we found to lack the required commitment to achieve the Federation’s objectives as set out in the Coach’s employment contract,” the NFF said in a statement later on Saturday after Ghanasoccernet.com had exclusively broken the news.

“To this end and pursuant to the provisions of Clause 4.3 of the Employment Contract between Mr. Stephen Keshi and the NFF (The Contract) and the various clauses therein, the Nigeria Football Federation has decided to exercise its option to summarily terminate the employment contract of Mr. Stephen Keshi with the Federation with immediate effect.”

The NFF also added that the decision to sack Keshi was “without prejudice to the settlement of any existing and due financial obligations between the NFF and Mr. Keshi.”

Keshi was listed by the Ivorian Football Federation as one of 59 ‘applicants’ for the vacant Cote d ‘ Ivoire coaching job, which prompted an investigation from the NFF.

The Ivorian Football Federation pruned the list down to three, with Keshi’s name missing, but chairman of the NFF Disciplinary Committee, Christopher Green continued their investigations which finally nailed the coach.

The NFF got all the info needed and con¬firmed that an agent made an application for the El-ephant job on behalf of Keshi. The same agent, we further gathered, later applied in writing with¬drawing the Keshi appli¬cation.

It would be noted that the NFF Disciplinary Committee summoned Keshi last week over the job saga.

Keshi was re¬ported to have told the Barrister Chris Green committee that he didn’t apply for the job but the Ivorian FA confirmed that his agent had applied for the job on his behalf.

Keshi had on his part said he was happy with the Eagles job and was ready to see out his two year contract.

The 53-year-old was into his second spell as the Super Eagles coach after holding the reigns from 2011.

He won the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations with the Super Eagles but has been on a battle lane with the federation since then.