Da Gama shoots down Baxter media reports

Highlands Park coach Owen da Gama (right) has shot down a media report claiming that he had “blasted” Bafana Banafa coach Stuart Baxter.

In a post-match interview following the weekend’s Telkom Knockout match, Da Gama was asked about Strasbourg striker Lebo Mothiba, who recently featured for Bafana in the Afcon matches.

Da Gama was the coach at the time when Mothiba played for SA under-23 side and therefore knew the player well.

He said he was disappointed at the reporter for misquoting him.

“To start with, the question was never about Bafana Bafana, but how I feel about Lebo Mothiba’s performance because he got his first national team callup while I was leading the Under-23 team.

“I only mentioned the fact I was disappointed with the results, I thought we would keep the team that beat Burkina Faso, the same team that went on to beat Nigeria away. Then we disassembled that team.

“The topic was never about coach Baxter and never about Bafana Bafana. I know all about the pressure that comes with coaching Bafana and have to respect and support his decision.

“This is because he has the responsibility to choose players based on their current form and it’s his prerogative to choose the players he sees fit to represent the team at the time,” added Da Gama.