Rhoo punts ex-pros to help Baxter

Bafana coach gets legend’s blessing

While Stuart Baxter is yet to finalise his technical support staff, former Bafana Bafana captain Lucas “Rhoo” Radebe is calling for ex-SA professional players to be considered for a role on the senior national team’s technical bench.

“We need more up-and-coming coaches. Having local former professional players on the bench can also help bring the fans back because they will relate [to the former players],” Radebe told Sowetan on Tuesday.

Thabo Senong and Molefi Ntseki deputised in the games against Nigeria and Zambia but it was a temporary arrangement, according to Baxter.

“We’ve been talking about developing our own coaches and here is Benni [McCarthy], who is a great prospect,” said Radebe, 48, who retired in 2005.

McCarthy was unveiled as the new Cape Town City head coach on Tuesday.

“I can say Baxter ... knows our football better than most of the international coaches we’ve brought before. He has great credibility,” Radebe said.

But the former Leeds United skipper warned that “while change is good, there’s a lot that we still need to implement in terms of the progress and the sustainability [of SA football]”.

“I can see progress in terms of organisation,” he said. “But it’s gonna take a lot of hard work in terms of getting the [playing] structure right.”