Still no solution to Bafana coaching riddle

Stuart Baxter is believed to be on Safa’s radar.

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Johannesburg - After failing to meet its own deadline to announce Bafana Bafana’s new coach, the SA Football Association (Safa) has laid the blame at the door of the media.

Safa president Danny Jordaan on Friday ­accused the media of creating confusion and peddling the wrong information.

But the fact is that Safa has failed the nation
­because Bafana still does not have a coach – almost three months after Shakes Mashaba was sacked. This is a slap in the face of South Africans, who have been ­eagerly waiting to find out who his successor would be.

But, instead, Safa has missed its own deadline and extended it.

Hardly inspires confidence

It is clear that there has not been any progress made in this regard.

Five coaches were short-listed and it has since emerged that Safa could not agree on terms with some of them, while one had contractual ­issues with his employers.

As a result, the country will end up with a fifth choice, which hardly ­inspires confidence.

Safa has missed a great ­opportunity to win the nation’s confidence, which is ­extremely lacking because of the ­shenanigans going on at head­quarters.

But now that the CAF elections are out of the way, Jordaan said he “was going to work to deal with this matter. There is no confusion. We have one person who we are dealing with. You [the media] are creating the confusion. We will let you know when we ­announce the coach.”

City Press has learnt that SuperSport United coach Stuart Baxter is in pole position to land the plum job.

The Safa executive will meet on Saturday to ratify the new coach’s appointment.

Jordaan accused the ­media of creating confusion over Dutch midfielder Kamohelo Mokotjo.

Last year, the FC Twente player took Dutch citizenship – ­renouncing his South African ­citizenship.

Promising youngsters

“You made it an issue where there was nothing. Where was he born? He was born here and there is no issue at all. Watch him in his Bafana jersey in Durban.”


Bafana take on Guinea-Bissau in a friendly match in Durban on Saturday before playing Angola on Tuesday, ­either in Port Elizabeth or East London.

Caretaker coach Owen Da Gama has included some promising youngsters, who did duty for the national Under-20 team in the Africa Cup of Nations in Zambia.

The inclusion of these players will surely raise the bar with positions up for grabs.