Not all my fault for Bafana failing to make cut – Baxter

STUART Baxter offered several excuses after Bafana Bafana’s defeat to Senegal in Dakar on Tuesday night and blamed his delayed appointment to the coaching seat as the reason for the national team’s failure to qualify for the 2018 World Cup.

Senegal confirmed Bafana’s plunge into ignominy with the 2-1 defeat and Baxter’s charges finished the World Cup qualifying campaign at the bottom of their group with four points from six matches.

The Senegalese won the group while Burkina Faso and modest Cape Verde finished second and third respectively.

“Looking back it has been a difficult campaign‚” said Baxter. “When I came in it was last minute and the campaign was under way.

“The coaches that were here before did things in different ways and it takes time before you get your ideas across to the players.

“The fact that we had confusion surrounding the Senegal replay didn’t help in terms of the mental part of the game.

“Most of all‚ it has been a question of not taking our chances‚ and turning over goals at vital times.”

Bafana beat Senegal 2-1 in Polokwane in November last year but the result was later annulled because it was found to have been manipulated by Ghanaian referee Joseph Lamptey.

The South Africans lost the replay 2-0 in Polokwane last week.

Baxter presided over four defeats in five matches – Bafana beat Burkina Faso in his lone victory in the qualifiers – and in his desperate attempt to make sense of the disastrous campaign‚ the embattled coach also blamed his players for their failure to finish off opportunities.

“If we talk about results‚ I think weren’t disappointing at times.

“In most games we showed that when we get the balance right between efficiency and flamboyance we were a good team.

“The challenge we have is that we are not consistent enough and that goes back a long way and that is not something that I am going to be able to change in the 200-odd days I have been in the results charge.”

He added that Bafana have a long way to go before they can conquer the continent and the world.

“We started a journey‚ we do have a way to go before we can be truly challenging for the top slots both on the continent and in the world.

“I do think there are a lot of positives that have come through.

“The biggest is that against top opposition we dominated in games for longer periods with the type of football that has been commended.

“The way we have in front of us is to make sure that we are more consistent‚ we are more professional and we continue to develop the type of football that is a reflection of South Africa.

“I would like to thank the supporters‚ especially at FNB and Polokwane for the type of support they showed us.” — DDC