Sono gives Baxter vote of confidence
COSMOS BOSS: HE IS A GOOD CHOICE FOR THE COUNTRY
‘There is another World Cup if we don’t qualify for this one’.
Jomo Cosmos owner and head coach Jomo Sono is adamant that Stuart Baxter is the right man to take Bafana Bafana to greater heights despite the heavy criticism the Bafana coach and his players are facing in their quest to qualify for the 2018 Fifa World Cup in Russia.
Last month’s back-to-back defeats by Cape Verde have made it extremely difficult for Baxter and his team to qualify for the global tournament. To add more salt to the team’s wounds, Fifa ordered their 2-1 victory against Senegal be replayed after match referee Joseph Lamptey was found guilty of manipulating the game.
As things stand in Group D of the qualifiers, Bafana have one point from three matches, while Burkina Faso and Cape Verde are level on six points. Senegal, meanwhile, have five points from the same number of matches.
“It is all about what the coach tells his players to do,” said the Cosmos mentor. “And Baxter will tell his players what to do. Baxter is not a bad choice, he is a good choice for the country because he knows the players. I think they should give him a chance to do what he wants to do.
“They must not look at Baxter to lose one game and fire him, they should leave him there. He has come back for the second time (to coach Bafana), so they must give him time. There is another World Cup coming if we don’t qualify for this one.”
Bafana will be without key players – skipper Thulani Hlatswayo, who is injured and Eric Mathoho, suspended for the match – but Sono doesn't believe that should be a worrying factor for the national team with many players in the league capable of taking their places.
“There are no excuses, we don't want to hear that some players are injured or Mathoho is suspended, it’s 11 against 11 on the field. This is the national team, if you are injured we don’t have to cry, there are many players registered in the PSL. There must be another player who can come in and fit in into the team.”