Sowetan

Ntseki smiles all the way to the bank

Broos to wait long for action as World Cup qualifiers are shelved

- By Neville Khoza

After partying ways with Safa yesterday, former Bafana Bafana coach Molefi Ntseki said he is happy with the agreement he reached with the associatio­n.

Safa yesterday officially confirmed the departure of Ntseki after the announceme­nt of Hugo Broos as the new Bafana coach.

In March, Safa sacked Ntseki just 18 months into his contract after he failed to lead the national side to qualificat­ion for next year’s delayed Africa Cup of Nations tournament to be held in Cameroon.

“We are happy with what we got, and we have wrapped up and we move on with life,” Ntseki told Sowetan yesterday.

Ntseki was appointed as Bafana head coach in August 2019 after serving as an assistant to Stuart Baxter for two years, where they reached the Afcon quarterfin­als in Egypt two years ago.

Ntseki’s manager Thato Matuka said they are now open to any opportunit­y for the coach.

“What’s important now is that we have wrapped this issue with Safa and life goes on,” Matuka said.

“We are happy with what we got... we part amicably. For the future, we are now open to any opportunit­y anywhere.

“Hopefully we will get something soon.”

Meanwhile, the Confederat­ion of African Football (CAF) confirmed that Africa’s World Cup qualifiers that were due to start in June will now begin in September.

CAF said the decision was made in conjunctio­n with Fifa “taking into considerat­ion the current disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic and the need to ensure optimal playing conditions for all teams”.

The qualifiers have now been reschedule­d for the second time, after they were postponed from October last year.

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 ?? / STEVE HAAG SPORTS/ BACKPAGEPI­X ?? Former Bafana Bafana coach Molefi Ntseki chats to his players during the Afcon qualifier against Sao Tome and Príncipe in Durban in November 2020.
/ STEVE HAAG SPORTS/ BACKPAGEPI­X Former Bafana Bafana coach Molefi Ntseki chats to his players during the Afcon qualifier against Sao Tome and Príncipe in Durban in November 2020.

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