Queiroz for Bafana, at a price
• Former national coach seems to have inside lane but if he comes at too high a cost Frenchman Renard is second choice for the job
The technical committee of the South African Football Association (Safa) has recommended Carlos Queiroz for the vacant Bafana Bafana coaching job but the former Real Madrid mentor’s salary demands are the final hurdle in his appointment.
Queiroz earned about R20m a year as Iran coach.
Should Safa fail to reach an agreement with him on Wednesday, Frenchman Hervé Renard will be introduced to the media on Friday.
The race for the top job is now down to the two men and one of them will take over a seat that has been vacant since Ephraim “Shakes” Mashaba’s sacking in December.
Safa hope to conclude salary negotiations and other related contractual discussions by Wednesday to end the search.
Insiders said the duration of the contract is expected to be another consideration. While qualifying for the 2018 World Cup in Russia is the ultimate goal, the new man must also keep an eye on the qualifiers for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations.
Bafana play their opening 2019 Afcon qualifier against Nigeria in June.
Queiroz appeared to be the favourite to get the job a few days ago. The technical committee, which includes former Bafana captain Lucas Radebe and Sundowns boss Anastasia Tsichlas, confirmed the speculation when they made their recommendation to Safa.
But while Safa removed the affordability clause from the Bafana coach criteria, officials still want the new man’s salary to be within reason.
Queiroz is a regular visitor to SA as he has family based in Johannesburg. He is said to consider SA his second home and it is no secret that he has close friends at Safa House including Safa president Danny Jordaan and CEO Dennis Mumble.
He is also a former Bafana coach and understands the tricky political dynamics that govern South African football very well.
But, given the furore that surrounded the disclosure of Brazilian Carlos Alberto Parreira and his compatriot Joel Natalino Santana’s exorbitant salaries a few years ago (the former was paid R1.8m per month, while the latter took home R1.4m a month), Safa could face objections to Queiroz unless he agrees to lower his demands.
Renard’s recent achievements on the continent give him a crucial advantage over Queiroz as he holds the unique distinction of winning the Nations Cup with Zambia in 2012 and Ivory Coast in 2015.
He is also a regular visitor to SA and has never hidden his desire to work in this part of the world at some stage in his career. Safa are determined to make the announcement by Friday at the very latest, as the new coach needs to start preparing for friendly matches against Angola and Guinea-Bissau, in Durban and Bloemfontein, respectively, in March.
The Bafana job has been vacant since December, when Safa fired Mashaba due to a litany of indiscretions including insubordination and bringing Safa into disrepute.
Mashaba is challenging his dismissal. His arbitration hearing has been set down for March 7.