Baxter pleads for a hosting resolution
BAFANA BOSS: WE DON’T WANT THE SENEGAL THING AGAIN
Bafana Bafana head coach Stuart Baxter has called for a speedy resolution to the question of whether or not South Africa will host the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations.
The South African Football Association have sent a letter to the Confederation of African Football expressing their interest after it was taken away from Cameroon. Safa president Danny Jordaan said this week Caf are hoping to name a new host before the end of the year.
If South Africa does host the competition, it would mean they qualify automatically, and would ease the pressure of their final Afcon qualifier in March. As it stands, Bafana need at least a point against Libya in Tunisia.
“I think the sooner we can get an indication (of whether we will host), the better, we don’t want the whole Senegal thing again, with do we or don’t we have to play the game,” said Baxter, in reference to the 2018 Fifa World Cup qualfiers, where Bafana were eventually forced to replay a match against Senegal they had originally won, and went on to lose.
In the meantime, Baxter must carry on regardless and prepare for Libya. He has just got back from visiting Bafana’s Francebased players, Lebo Mothiba, Keagan Dolly and Bongani Zungu.
Baxter is hopeful about Zungu and Dolly’s recovery from longterm injuries, and also wants to have a mini-camp in February ahead of the Libya game.
“The connection to be made with the French clubs was maybe a bit disingenuous, because I want to improve our relationship, so I can ask them ‘can you release you players for a mini-camp?’, added Baxter.
“I put the PSL programme, the Caf programme, the Ligue 1 programme and the Belgian (Percy Tau’s base) programme on top of each other and have been looking for gaps (in the calendar). We may have a little chance. PSL coaches have been brilliant and said if they can they will release their players for a couple of days … there are two dates, one in mid-February and one at the end of that month as well.
“The only major problem would be the French players, to ask the clubs to release their players immediately after playing a game, and then giving us a couple of days with the players before they fly back to play someone like PSG, that might be a tough ask.”