With increased focus on security across the continent, Nigeria has moved its match against Namibia out of Kaduna after bomb attacks. Mali’s first home qualifier will be at a neutral venue because of a coup.

It was a bloody reminder of the deteriorating security in the Arab world’s most populous country.

The 53-year-old Bradley agreed a deal worth $37,000 a month until after the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

With Jordan and Yemen the latest governments caught in a rising tide of pro-democracy protests, American diplomats are at a loss for words to explain the official about-face to once-friendly Arab regimes.