Bafana and Baxter brands are in need of maintenance

● Perhaps it was a moment off the field at the Cosafa Cup that illustrated the concerns a sceptical South African public have for Bafana Bafana coach Stuart Baxter’s second tenure.

Baxter withdrew his players from a coaching clinic in the township of GaKgoroshi on Thursday because he said the event was eating into their training time.

Hundreds of children were disappointed. The players seemed distressed.

Baxter may or may not have issues with his senior squad losing some faith in the coach after last year’s World Cup qualification failure. So this seemed an unwise move with a new, young group of players whose support Baxter desperately needs.

Baxter was frustrated after beating Botswana 3-0 in Friday’s plate final at Peter Mokaba Stadium, following a 4-1 semifinal thrashing of Namibia, that the public focus seemed on Bafana’s too-slow penalties quarterfinal defeat by Madagascar, where the coach made strange decisions.

The games in which Bafana impressed were played in front of low attendances of a few hundred, even with free entrance.

Baxter must at least recognise that the Bafana brand, and the Baxter brand too, are in trouble and in need of repair.

“Sweden played Denmark in their last World Cup qualifying game, in a boring 0-0, and a full house booed Sweden off the field,” the coach responded. “In their media the following day the papers were united saying, ‘What the hell are you booing for?’

“I cannot imagine that here. I don’t think the media would mount any sort of defence of the team. We grab at negativity.

“I think we’ve all got to be united in the way we try to get that [brand] back.

“We don’t do it by frightening the coach to death thinking he’s going to get the sack because we lost on penalties against Madagascar.”

At some level, Baxter has a point. Whatever it is that raises such scepticism, often manifested as open dislike, from the South African public when he takes the national reins, Baxter for now is here to stay.

He will be the coach when the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers resume against Libya in September. Bafana desperately need to qualify for Cameroon 2019.

Baxter might then also want to make the most of any small PR opportunity and bonding chance with his players, rather than spurn them as he did in Ga-Kgoroshi.