Orlando Pirates chairman Irvin Khoza has paid his respects to former Nigeria coach Stephen Keshi after the 54-year-old passed away suddenly on Wednesday morning.

Read: Tributes pour in for ‘Big Boss’ Keshi

Keshi reportedly suffered cardiac arrest in the early hours of the morning, and the Bucs chairman was quick to highlight the mark the coach has made in the African game.

The experienced Nigerian was recently linked with a move to Pirates.

‘It’s a great loss,’ Khoza told EWN Sport.

‘He made history as one of the few men to represent his country at Afcon and the World Cup.

‘He brought a lot of confidence and motivation to players and coaches looking to make their mark.’

Khoza has revealed the club had once came close to sealing a deal with the coach.

‘Keshi to Pirates? There was a possibility before he joined the Nigerian national team,’ he said.

‘It’s regrettable because at some time we were expecting him to be a coach in South Africa.

‘It would’ve been nice to have a player and coach of his calibre at Pirates.’

Khoza believes the likelihood of Keshi having taken over at a PSL side had been high at the time.

‘At the time when he came from Togo, there was about a 70% that he would come to South Africa.

‘There are a lot of Nigerian supporters in South Africa. This time around there were no discussions opened,’ he concluded.