Irvin Khoza has resigned as vice-president of Safa

Irvin Khoza has resigned from his post as vice-president of the South African Football Association (Safa).

He is the first top official to quit following Bafana Bafana's heavy 4-0 loss to Nigeria at the African Cup of Nations.

The defeat has all but ended South Africa's chances of making it through to the quarter-finals.

The resignation comes on the back of poor pre-tournament preparations by the South African team that included Safa's dismissal of coach Ephraim 'Shakes' Mashaba just as the squad left for Tunisia.

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"I am tired of protecting people and being used as a scapegoat," Khoza said in a statement that appeared to refer to criticism of the team's performance in the Nations Cup.

Khoza is widely seen as the real power in South African football, and he was the one who publicly criticised Mashaba for his failure to get top foreign-based players like Mark Fish and Benni McCarthy to play at the Nations Cup.

The players decided not to play for Mashaba when he refused to allow them to join up with the squad's training camp late.

Khoza, who is also the chairman of Orlando Pirates and one of three vice-presidents at Safa, said he has given up all his executive posts in the association.

Yet he says he will remain the chairman of the bid committee for the 2010 World Cup as well as the chairman of South Africa's Premier Soccer League.