Stephen Keshi, coach of the Nigeria national team has had his contract terminated, and will no longer be in charge of the Super Eagles.

The decision was taken by the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) following reports that the former Mali and Togo coach had applied for the vacant spot at the head of the Cote D’Ivoire national team.

An NFF Executive Committee extra-ordinary meeting was convened over the weekend to make a decision on Keshi’s future based on the news about his efforts to take charge of the Elephants.

Keshi was given a two-year contract in April, but the NFF have now cancelled his deal in the aftermath of the latest news.

An official statement from the country’s football authorities said: “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.”

“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 statement added.

Officials have revealed that national team affairs will be jointly managed by Assistant Coach Salisu Yusuf and Shuaibu Amodu of the  the Technical Directorate of the NFF.

The NFF will be keen to move forward and find a new permanent coach with haste, as there are important qualification campaigns currently under way and beginning in the near future, including matches for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) which began in June, and 2018 World Cup qualifiers scheduled for September.