It’s true that Kaizer Chiefs wanted me, says Baxter
‘No, I’m not blowing my own trumpet’
Bafana Bafana coach Stuart Baxter has confirmed that he did receive contact from Kaizer Chiefs with a view of returning to Naturena as Amakhosi’s head coach.
Baxter said of the reports that Chiefs at one stage were courting him for a return: “Yes‚ I’m sure there was life in it.”
The Bafana coach did not deny that there had been any contact between him and the club where he won league and cup doubles in 2013-14 and 2015-16‚ saying only that any such communication was not as “drawn-out” as it was made to look in the media. Reports in June‚ denied by the South African Football Association (Safa)‚ were that Baxter‚ at the time at home in Sweden on holiday‚ might leave Bafana for Chiefs. Asked to clarify what the position was‚ Baxter said this week: “I left here and I went to Sweden to hopefully go and watch the [Russia] World Cup ... and do all my reports for Safa.
“And during that time I was bombarded by reports and counter-reports about how interested Chiefs were to bring me there.
“Now‚ I’m not blowing my own trumpet when I say that I would imagine that every time Chiefs need a coach my name would come up there somewhere – rightly or wrongly. “And I’m sure‚ because you get to know through different sources‚ that there was a scenario where people were hoping that that would happen. “Does that mean I was sitting down in negotiations with Chiefs? No it doesn’t. “But you guys like a good story‚ so there was a bit of life in that one. So you flogged it a little bit.” The Bafana mentor was speaking as he announced his squad this week for the Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Libya in Durban on Saturday September 8.