Safa plump for Baxter
All parties sure the situation will be resolved soon.
The South African Football Association are very close to agreeing a deal with Stuart Baxter to become the new head coach of Bafana Bafana. A highly-placed source tells Phakaaathi that there are just a few loose ends to tie up before Baxter is announced as the man to lead Bafana, probably before the end of this week.
Baxter’s club SuperSport United said last week they had given the Scot to talk to Safa, over taking back a job that he left in controversial circumstances in November 2005. Baxter would only take over after July 1, when his current SuperSport deal expires, meaning he would miss the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier in Nigeria in June.
Safa Head of Communications Dominic Chimhavi yesterday refused to comment, while Safa CEO Dennis Mumble and president Danny Jordaan could not be reached. The association have continuously delayed the announcement of a new head coach since February, when Jordaan said he wanted a new man in place before the end of that month.
An attempt to get Carlos Queiroz failed over a buy-out clause in his contract with Iran, while Frenchman Herve Renard’s personal demands are said to have been too steep for Safa.
Former Orlando Pirates coach Ruud Krol was also heavily linked to the job, but Safa have now turned to Baxter to guide the team to the 2018 Fifa World Cup in Russia, in spite of the fact that it was the same man who failed to get Bafana to the 2006 Fifa World Cup in Germany.
Baxter did qualify Bafana for the 2006 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt, but resigned before he could lead the team there, clearly upset over the way in which Safa was being run. Phakaaathi understands that as a result, the SuperSport United coach was set to seek certain assurances from Safa before he accepted the job again. It does now seem that Baxter has those assurances, though Phakaaathi has no confirmation or reports that he will receive a salary of R1 million a month, or that he has demanded that his son Lee is appointed Bafana’s goalkeeping coach.
The former Kaizer Chiefs head coach did not exactly give the best audition for the Bafana job this weekend when his SuperSport United side lost 1-0 at home to the Absa Premiership’s bottom side Baroka FC. With SuperSport hoping to challenge for the league title, it is likely to be better for all parties concerned if Baxter’s situation is sorted out sooner rather than later.