Bafana lack quality
WITH the announcement of the new Bafana Bafana coach imminent, one of the members of the selection panel believes the country cannot expect miracles from a new coach as long as we lack quality in the playing department.
Stars of Africa Football Academy director Farouk Khan said the way towards getting positive results on the soccer field was to look at developing players of an international standard.
“We have good players but no one who can hold their own among the world’s best players.
“What we need to do is look at a five or six-year plan to develop players to international standards.
“Many of the coaches who have put their hand up for the job do not satisfy all the criteria. However, I handed in my seven nominations on Sunday and Safa should make a final decision by the end of the week,” said Khan.
Although he hinted at his nominations favouring an international coach, he stressed that they would need to understand the dynamics of football as played in South Africa.
“If the final choice is for an international coach, then his assistants must be South African.”
One of the criteria that the selection panel had to consider was “…awareness, understanding and respect for Safa structures and policies”.
This after former coach Shakes Mashaba was fired after a spat with Safa president Danny Jordaan.
The incumbent coach is expected to earn a salary ranging between R400 000 and R500 000 a month.
However, Khan believes this money will be wasted if the coach does not have quality players to build a winning team.
Other members of the committee are Lucas Radebe, Benni McCarthy, Buti Mathathe, Anna Nyman, Neil Tovey, Clive Barker and technical committee chairperson Natasha Tsichlas.
Jordaan, Safa chief executive Dennis Mumble and vicepresident Elvis Shishana will also sit on the committee.
After deliberations, the committee will draw up a shortlist of candidates before naming the head coach in the coming few days.
Barker is the only former Bafana Bafana coach to have won the Africa Cup of Nations Tournament (1996) alongside Tovey as his captain.
More than 60 applications have been received and the candidates include Roberto Mancini, Giovanni Trapattoni, Hassan Shehata, Hugo Broos, Muhsin Ertugral, Samson Siasia, Lothar Mattheus and Bernd Schuster.
“We want to have the process expedited as Bafana Bafana have a bumper 2017 season in which they need to compete and qualify on three fronts – namely CHAN, Afcon (Africa Cup of Nations) and the Fifa World Cup in Russia 2018,” said Jordaan.