According to Burkinabe Federation President, Colonel Sita Sangare, a handful of well known coaches who have a wealth of experience in leading national teams in Africa have applied to be considered for the post of Burkina Faso head coach.

This situation has developed as a result of former Burkina Faso coach Paul Put being fired following the side’s failure to progress from the group stages of the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).

This disappointment was amplified by the fact that the Burkinabe ended the previous Nations Cup campaign two years ago in South Africa as runners up.

According to AfricanFootball.com, Federation President Sangare mentioned to the media that a list of the current applicants for the national team top job includes the likes of former French national team coach Jacques Santini, former Gabon and Niger boss Gernot Rohr, Nigeria coach Stephen Keshi, Congo boss Claude Le Roy and former Senegal coach Alain Giresse.

Sangare added that he intends to announce a final shortlist of three applicants for the coaching position on Monday, February 16. After this shortlist is presented to the media, the Federation will come to a decision regarding the new coach within the course of the next month.

Super Eagles coach Keshi was reported to be offered an extension with the Nigerian national team, but this is not yet clear, and it seems that he is keeping his options open should the road forward for him not see him remain in his homeland.

He previously coached Mali, and has been linked to interest from other national teams in the past, including South Africa.

Le Roy is another experienced tactician in the list, having spent time at the helm of Senegal, Ghana and Cameroon in previous Nations Cup tournaments.

The Frenchman managed to get Congo through the AFCON group stages in Equatorial Guinea, before they were knocked out of the competition by eventual third-placed finishers, DR Congo.