Things looking rather bleak for Mashaba
Bafana coach Shakes Mashaba could be out of a job as early as Friday, writes Mazola Molefe.
|||Shakes Mashaba, who was turned away at the OR Tambo Airport prior to Bafana Bafana boarding a flight to Maputo for a friendly match against Mozambique tonight, could see his title change to that of former national team coach by the end of the week.
A Safa insider privy to details of Mashaba’s suspension from his duties as a result of a post-match debacle in Polokwane following Bafana’s win over Senegal in a 2018 World Cup qualifier on Saturday afternoon said disciplinary proceedings against the coach will be accelerated and could be finalised as early as Friday. This, the official explained yesterday, was to avoid further speculation over Mashaba’s future.
The win over Group D favourites Senegal at the weekend was overshadowed by the Bafana coach’s ill-advised reaction towards his bosses, who he felt never backed him during a challenging few months and were ready to send him packing had he failed to beat the Lions of Teranga. This now appears a possibility.
Video footage of Mashaba refusing to conduct an interview with the SABC shortly after the match emerged on social media yesterday morning and these images had been captured in full view of his SA Football Association (Safa) bosses, including president Danny Jordaan.
The tape will be used as evidence against him in a disciplinary hearing, which will be spearheaded by the association’s chief executive, Dennis Mumble.
“The coach will be given three days to respond to the charges against him,” the insider revealed. “Several witnesses will be called in an effort to try and deal with this debacle as quickly as possible to avoid further assumptions about what is going to happen to the coach. But his behaviour is a fireable offence.”
Both Jordaan and Mumble have so far refused to comment, with the Safa president directing all questions to the CEO, who was also reluctant to speak to the press.
Jordaan did confirm that Mumble had sent a letter to the Safa national executive members following the Polokwane aftermath, but he had not read it yet. According to our deep throat, Mashaba is a dead man walking.
“There is enough time to get a new coach, who will have ample time to prepare Bafana for their next World Cup qualifier in August (back-to-back matches against Cape Verde). Winning against Senegal did not make Safa forget that the coach failed to qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) next year,” the source elaborated. “But whoever comes in will have to be someone with experience coaching in Africa, otherwise the association will shoot itself in the foot and risk not qualifying for Russia. You cannot have a situation where you arrive in one of the countries on the continent for a crucial qualifier and be found wanting.”
It is believed Safa already have several candidates in mind, including Ruud Krol, a treble winner with Orlando Pirates in the Premier Soccer League in 2011. The Dutchman, 67 (a year older than Mashaba), is currently unattached and has plenty of experience coaching in Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia.
Bafana assistant Owen da Gama temporarily takes over for tonight’s match against Mozambique.
Follow Mazola Molefe on Twitter@superjourno
The Star