Safa, Baxter ‘need time’ to finalise technical team
STUART BAXTER might still be without his preferred permanent technical staff when Bafana Bafana travel to Cape Verde for their third 2018 Fifa World Cup qualifier against the Blue Sharks in a month’s time.
Baxter, who led the senior national side to their first ever victory in a competitive match against Nigeria in a 2019 Afcon qualifier clash following his reappointment as Bafana coach, stated that this was due to the fact that he and Safa were yet to reach a final decision on the issue.
However, the 63-year old Scotsman added that this was one matter that they could not keep delaying, as doing so, might have a negative effect on his squad in the long run.
“Wow, I think since I came here, I had about four days at Safa, the rest were on the road,” Baxter said.
“There are a lot of things that we had on the agenda and have not been (finalised up to this point). And that’s because I’ve never had time to sit down with the powers at be. I’ve made a couple of recommendations though, we’ve spoken, but the matter is not put to bed (as yet) because we need time and finalise the whole thing in a meeting. I’ve virtually had not a day free from squad selection, training sessions and the travelling to games as well, since I (took over).
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen an international period such as this one. And it’s going to be the same right up until we play against Cape Verde.”
Before that encounter, Bafana will travel to Francistown tomorrow for the second round first leg African Nations Championship (Chan) clash against Botswana on Saturday.
That encounter will then be followed by a return leg next week before Baxter starts with his preparations leading up to their meeting against Cape Verde.
By the time they are done the two Chan qualifiers, Baxter will be left with about five weeks before his team make the trip to the Blue Sharks for their World Cup qualifier Group D fixture. It is during this period that the Bafana coach is hoping that he and Safa will have come to a conclusion as to whom are they are intending to bring in to help fill in those vacant posts in his technical team.
“We still have to sit down and discuss that, if we go through this round of Chan, then how are we going to approach the next one of this Chan competition,” Baxter said.
“And all of that means I would now be in camp for about eight days before flying to Cape Verde and that’s maybe something you don’t want your senior national team coach to be doing, leading up to preparation (for a Fifa World Cup qualifier). You would most likely want him to be monitoring his opponents, gaining the intelligence from watching (their matches), and watching the players he’s going to select for senior national team.
“Even if the president were to come to me (leading up to this Botswana match), I would have time. We would obviously have to make some time (to squeeze him in the tight programme) but we are working all the time. My guess is that the meeting will be held after this camp.”
Meanwhile, Baxter stated that they were still waiting for a confirmation in writing from Caf to hear on whether or not former Greece-based player, Lehlogonolo Masalesa, would be eligible to play for the senior national team, now that he was a free agent and no longer contracted to Larissa. According to the rules of the competition, only locally-based players plying their trade in domestic leagues of their respective countries, are eligible to play in the Chan tournament.