DA GAMA NOT PART OF BAXTER’S PLAN

SA’s former U23 coach takes up new position at Highlands Park

OWEN da Gama was released from his contract as South Africa’s U23 coach after Bafana Bafana mentor Stuart Baxter decided not to retain him as his assistant‚ SA Football Association (Safa) chief executive Dennis Mumble said yesterday.

That is why Da Gama could be appointed as the new head coach of First Division Highlands Park on Tuesday.

No announcement was ever made by Safa that Da Gama – whose position as Bafana assistant to Baxter’s predecessor‚ Ephraim “Shakes” Mashaba‚ automatically entailed coaching the U23s – had been released as the Olympic team’s coach. Mumble has confirmed this. “Da Gama has been formally released from the association.

“It was an understanding by the assistant coaches that their contracts are linked to the contract of the head coach‚” he said. “That is how we had contracted them.

“We made it clear that‚ if the head coach changes‚ a new coach must have the option of choosing the support system.

“There is still an assessment period going on until the World Cup qualifiers‚ and then Baxter will sit down with me to give me what will be his long-term assistant-coaching setup.

“Baxter is conducting the assessments now,” Mumble said.

“But clearly Owen da Gama was not part of his plans.”

With Da Gama’s release, it appears a vacancy is open for a South African U23 coach.

Bafana’s remaining assistant‚ Thabo Senong – who Baxter has retained – is officially the U20 coach. Molefi Ntseki coaches the U17s.

Baxter has already said that his second assistant‚ Quinton Fortune – appointed on a temporary basis last month – could have a role to play with South Africa’s junior teams‚ and Mumble yesterday confirmed that plan.

Mumble was asked to clarify at what point Fortune might be given a permanent Bafana Bafana contract.

“He already has a contract – it is, what we call, an assignment contract.

“The intention was never to make him a full-time assistantcoach‚” Mumble said.

“The coach [Baxter] has said that he would want one full-time assistant – and that the other would be a legend who he would be mentoring.

“Quinton [Fortune] was the first to say: ‘I don’t have the experience at that level’.

“But the coach was very clear‚ even during the negotiations before we hired him, that one of the things he wanted was to mentor a legend or two.

“Benni McCarthy was taken by Cape Town City and Sean Bartlett is trying to get a team [University of Pretoria] promoted again. Aaron Mokoena had said he did not really have ambitions to be a coach.

“For Quinton‚ yes, we will utilise him in our junior national teams as part of that programme,” Mumble said.

“But he does have an assignment contract‚ because it is not a full-time job. If it does at a junior level, then obviously we will amend that.

“However, that discussion will only take place at the next national executive committee meeting.”

Da Gama could not be reached for comment.