Johannesburg – The South African Football Association (Safa) technical committee members are up in arms as to how the national executive committee (NEC) left them out in the cold when former Bafana Bafana coach Molefi Ntseki was about to get booted by the national association.
The committee members are saying that the actions of the NEC are undermining them and will, as a result, make them redundant. They are adamant that the technical committee is the link between the NEC and the national teams, including Bafana Bafana, Bayana Banyana, the youth and junior boys’ and girls’ sides and the Under-23 Olympic side.
The technical committee is of the view the national association should not have deviated from the procedure for appointing or fi ring coaches.
It had not even received or studied a report from Ntseki, but a decision had already been taken by Safa to part ways with the coach.
The coach’s report helps the committee understand the conditions in which the coach has been working under, so that they can avoid some of the hurdles of the past for the incoming coach.
A well-placed official at the meeting said that they want the environment for the new coach to be conducive so that he only has to worry about his team and delivering results.
“For instance, it was raised at the Wednesday meeting that Ntseki had requested a chartered flight to Sudan, but the association did not listen to him, and the players and the rest of the travelling party ended up sleeping underground,” said our informant.
“And six hours later, they had to play that important match. Another member of the technical committee told us the same thing happened in the opening match of the ill-fated Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Ghana away that South Africa lost 2-0,” he said.
In 2012, Steve Komphela was supposed to have been picked as Bafana Bafana coach. People even congratulated Komphela but Gordon Igesund was appointed, to everyone’s surprise.
The scenario played itself out when Stuart Baxter was hired for his second tenure to lead the team.
The technical committee recommended Herve Renard but the nation was told that Renard had said that he was “very expensive”.
Baxter did not apply for the post, but ended up gett ing the nod, to the dismay of the Safa technical committee.
The members of the Safa technical committ ee are: chairman Jack Maluleka‚ his deputy Bhuda Mathate‚ Greg Mashilo‚ Sudesh Singh‚ Mzwandile Mnqamkani‚ Litheko Marago‚ Anna Nyaman‚ Mziwanele Wopa‚ Thozamile Lugayeni‚ David Molwantoa‚ Boebie Solomons‚ David Nyathi‚ Dr Thulani Ngwenya‚ Simphiwe Mkhangelwa and Thebe Sekoto.
Bafana are scheduled to resume Qatar 2022 World Cup qualifiers in June.
World Cup qualification fixtures:
June 5-8: Zimbabwe v SA;
June 11-14: SA v Ghana;
September 1-4: Ethiopia v SA;
September 5-8: SA v Ethiopia;
October 6-9: SA v Zimbabwe;
October 10- 12: Ghana v SA.
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