Pros and cons of sticking with Mashaba

Apparently, Bafana coach Shakes Mashaba is of the opinion that he should be exempt from criticism, writes Rodney Reiners.

Cape Town - Bafana Bafana coaches have come and gone with alarming regularity since 1992, when South Africa returned to the international football fold.

Every coach who has stepped into the hot seat has found himself under intense scrutiny of the media, and each of those coaches had to endure constant criticism and team analysis from the “selectors” perched on the stands and in the press box. Not Shakes Mashaba, though.

Apparently, he is of the opinion that he should be exempt from criticism. After Tuesday’s goalless draw with Cameroon at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban, a result that all but put paid to Bafana’s chances of qualifying for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations in Gabon, Mashaba again laid into the media about questioning his position as national coach.

It has been a constant theme of Mashaba’s reign as Bafana coach. Just a few weeks ago, before he named the squad to face Cameroon, he spent about 20 minutes lecturing journalists about how to do their job, and not to criticise his selections. He’s thin-skinned, that’s for sure. Paranoid, too, it would seem.

Criticism, someone should tell Mashaba, is part and parcel of being a national coach - in any sport, in any country. It comes with the territory. As the adage goes, “if you can’t stand the heat...”

Qualifying for next year’s Afcon was one of Mashaba’s mandates after which, of course, he has to get Bafana to the 2018 World Cup. Having already failed at the first hurdle, surely he should understand why he is under extreme pressure? Already there have been calls for Mashaba to be axed.

But, over the years, the problem with South African football - at club and national level - is that it discards coaches too often, and too soon.

And, what’s more, it’s always the coach’s fault, never the players. Despite Bafana’s imminent absence from next year’s continental event, if you take the two games against Cameroon over the last few days into consideration, they were undoubtedly the better team.

As things go in football, they just didn’t get the run of the ball. (two blatant penalties not awarded, for example).

For Mashaba’s employers - Safa - there are two options. Get rid of Mashaba now for failing to qualifying for Afcon, and appoint a new coach so that he has the time to bed in before the qualifiers for the 2018 World Cup arrive.

Or, stick with Mashaba and hope that he is on the right track in terms of Safa’s Vision 2022 (the ultimate aim of which is to, by then, be ranked in the top three in Africa and the top 20 in the world).

Both decisions have pros and cons.

Keeping Mashaba ensures continuity. While the coach has his flaws, his avuncular manner does have a positive effect on players, especially at national level.

South African footballers, coming from disparate backgrounds in a country previously torn apart by separation, function differently and have to be coached and spoken to differently. Overseas coaches often get this wrong and that’s why they fail.

Bringing in a new coach, though, means Bafana have to start all over again. There’ll be new faces, both in terms of technical staff and playing personnel, and a new voice for everybody to get accustomed to.

And by the time the 2018 World Cup qualifiers arrive, the team may just not be ready yet under the new coach. As a result, Bafana may not qualify and the whole process around another new national coach starts all over again. It’s an endless cycle.

One thing’s certain though; if Mashaba is retained, someone at Safa is going to have to impress on the national coach that fighting with the media is pointless. As that old saying goes, “they buy ink by the barrel”.

Mashaba needs to be professional about his job, accept the severe pressures that come with it, and start accepting responsibility for whatever decisions he makes.

There’s still a lot wrong with Bafana, certainly as far as selection is concerned. Names like Andile Jali, Erick Mathoho, Thulani Hlatshwayo, Thabo Matlaba, Rivaldo Coetzee and Thulani Serero will probably be picked by any coach, but the rest of the squad? How many deserve to be there?

So, what does Safa do? A new coach or not? Let’s wait and see.

Cape Argus