Quinton Fortune set to join Bafana

JOHANNESBURG: Former Bafana Bafana star Quinton Fortune could potentially travel with the national team to Zambia today for the second leg of their African Nations Championship (Chan) qualifier with the prospect of joining head coach Stuart Baxter’s technical team.

Baxter had hinted while in Nigeria two months ago ahead of Bafana’s opening 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against the Super Eagles that he’d ask Safa to give the role of a second assistant coach to an ex-player.

Baxter will not travel to Zambia for the return leg on Saturday, but revealed yesterday afternoon that Fortune will accompany his other assistant, Thabo Senong, for the match at the Levy Mwanawasa Stadium.

“I have had very little time to concentrate on the absolutely vital assignment that is the Cape Verde (2018 World Cup) qualifier,” Baxter explained.

“I am going to use some of the time to watch the PSL games over the weekend and prepare for the squad announcement on Monday.

“One of the staff that will be travelling to Zambia, albeit on a temporary basis, is Quinton Fortune.

“He arrived this morning (yesterday) and will follow the training session at FNB Stadium.

“We are still to decide if he will go with Thabo to be some kind of an assistant or a spectator – just to see how we do things.

“When the squad gets back, there will be a conversation between him and the association to see if we found common ground, and also to see if there is any room to bring him in on a permanent basis.

“What is happening now is just a matter of the two parties having to look at the situation.”