Keshi supports Igesund faith

Nigeria coach Stephen Keshi has applauded the South African Football Association's (SAFA) continued support for national coach Gordon Igesund. Igesund has achieved nine wins, three draws and seven defeats since he took charge of South Africa in June last year, as well as having guided them to a quarter-final finish in the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations. Bafana Bafana's AFCON dreams were dashed by Mali after a penalty shoot-out sent the tournament hosts packing one round short of Igesund's mandated semi-final goal for the competition. The 57-year-old's hopes of orchestrating Bafana's place at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil also hangs in the balance as their participation comes down to the final day of group qualification next month. Keshi, whose AFCON-winning team lock horns with SA on Wednesday in Durban for an international friendly, believes SAFA made the right call in sticking with Igesund instead of adopting a knee-jerk reaction to any significant losses he may have suffered. "I thought he's doing a great job. His message is getting there," 'The Boss' told SuperSport. "You know it's not easy. He was appointed about seven months ago and his team only lost narrowly on penalties to Mali. "Gordon is doing a great job and I am happy they retained him after Afcon. He really got his team playing some sweet flowing football and I really enjoyed their pressing game. "The South African Football Association has shown a good example and they will reap their rewards in due course."