Baxter on Safa radar
COACH SEARCH: SUPERSPORT UNITED CONFIRM TALKS ARE TAKING PLACE
However, club say he would only be released on July 1.
It could be described as a situation of turmoil after Safa failed to lure one of a prominent array of outsiders to take on the position of Bafana Bafana coach in succession to the dismissed Shakes Mashaba.
And the litany of confusion that has emerged over the indecisive issue this week took a U-turn with the confirmation that Safa president Danny Jordaan was now negotiating with SuperSport United coach Stuart Baxter over the possibility of taking over the post for a second time.
Ironically, and disturbingly, the change in direction was only revealed by SuperSport, with Safa remaining as silent as the lambs and evasive on the issue even after the pronouncement that Baxter was being targeted to terminate ties with his PSL club.
SuperSport’s release states that they have granted permission to Safa to negotiate with Baxter, with the matter concluded one way or another in a matter of seven days after which the articulate Scotland-born coach will either decide to remain in the realms of the PSL or return to the Bafana ranks – if the contracted conditions of his release are fully met.
Despite SuperSport’s diplomatic pronouncement, various reliable sources have stated that Baxter had already been approached by Safa before his club had been notified – and this had left the club crying blue murder.
SuperSport United CEO Stan Matthews, however, declined to comment on whether Baxter had been approached initially without the required permission – keeping the peace with the assertion that the club had always operated with the best interests of Safa and South African football at heart and that they would do so in the present situation as well.
“If Stuart comes to terms with Safa and expresses a desire to re-unite with Bafana, we would release him in this light,” said Matthews, “as long as the relevant conditions of his uncompleted contract were met.
“Either way,” added Matthews, “Baxter will remain as our coach until the end of the current season and any termination would only take place as from July 1.”
SuperSport, meanwhile, are not letting the grass grow under their feet and are preparing for every and any eventuality, with speculation already suggested that Roger de Sa could be one of those considered as a possible replacement.
As for Safa, not being able to secure Baxter’s services before the end of the current PSL season can only be discomforting in view of he critical World Cup and Afcon qualifying games on the horizon.
As for Baxter, he will need to weigh up the consequences of his decision – and whether to accept a substantial financial offer that is believed to be more lucrative than that he already enjoys from SuperSport.