I quit, says Da Gama
CARETAKER COACH, FRUSTRATED WITH THE IMPASSE, IS WALKING OUT Baxter’s operation has thrown a spanner into the works.
Owen da Gama, “the good guy” in the sixmonth, indecisive Bafana Bafana coaching fiasco that has lingered on since the dismissal of Shakes Mashaba, yesterday fired a strong salvo of his own by declaring he will no longer accept his previously ordained role as assistant coach or continue in the position of caretaker coach under the present inconclusive situation.
Da Gama has received wide praise for the manner in which he has handled the Bafana hot seat since taking over from Mashaba on a temporary basis, but he now feels he needs to assess his own future.
“One thing is for certain,” he proclaimed. “I will not return to the position of Bafana assistant coach, no matter who is finally chosen as the permanent coach.
“And while I do not want to leave Bafana in the lurch because the welfare of the national team is very close to my heart – and I have formed a close association with the players – I need to come to some sort of concrete agreement with Safa and know where I stand.”
Da Gama may well feel irked by the proclaimed assessment of Safa that his presence is required because of the need to maintain an element of continuity in a critical year of looming World Cup, Caf Nations Cup and Chan qualifying matches – yet at the same time they will not consider him for the role as permanent coach.
This position has latterly been earmarked by Safa for entrenched SuperSport United coach Stuart Baxter after the failure to come to an agreement with a whole host of other coaches since Mashaba’s departure, but has now been placed in some jeopardy by the announcement in the past week of Baxter undergoing an operation and the failure of the parties involved to come to an agreement over terms.
“We gave Safa a week to come to a satisfactory arrangement with Baxter and satisfy the conditions of his release from his contract with SuperSport United,” said club CEO Stan Matthews. “It is now three weeks and there has been no agreement on either count.”
And so the ongoing Bafana coaching merry-go-round saga continues without any conclusion in spite of time running out before the team’s next vital undertaking – the tricky away Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Nigeria early in June.