Ephraim "Shakes” Mashaba looked a man cracking under the pressure with yet another incoherent ramble against media criticism after Bafana Bafana’s 1-0 victory against Senegal in the Nelson Mandela Challenge on Tuesday night.
Mashaba missed a trick by, rather than putting a positive spin on an impressive victory against a strong, 38th-ranked Senegal at Orlando Stadium, dwelling on the negative and continuing to be defensive in the face of criticism.
An emotional Mashaba lashed out at criticism of an embarrassing 3-1 away defeat against Mauritania by an ill-prepared Bafana on Saturday that has left South Africa with a very slim hope of qualifying for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations. The coach said it had been difficult lifting his players’ spirits.
“And you know the reason,” he said. “It’s not about losing a game, but what is being said after losing.
“For the first time in my life I listened to all the radio stations, newspapers, television – not a single one was positive.”
Mashaba’s complaint was that criticism had been too personal. However the coach has still to accept responsibility for what could be considered gross negligence not knowing Bafana would meet Mauritania on an artificial surface in Nouakchott. Mashaba also has admitted to scant scouting of his opposition in the past.
The coach singled out Robert Marawa’s radio show, where he felt he had been asked loaded questions. However, the coach was advised by his Safa media handlers not to go on the show but had stubbornly gone anyway.
“My family said, ‘But why do you go and degrade yourself?’,” said Mashaba. “Because most of the questions were too personal. I’m a very friendly person when you deal with me in a friendly way. But you’ve got to show respect when you talk to me.
“Don’t misuse or abuse the platform that you have. Say now you ask me, ‘Do I owe the nation an apology?’. Do I say, ‘Yes?’. To me, that looks like I’m buying the nation not to hang me.
“And I’ve said to people, tomorrow morning I’m not going to the Safa offices. Look for me in the malls – that’s where I get solace, and ideas, talking to people. I’m not sitting in an office doing nothing, like people say, where everything I do is a thumb-suck.”
Mashaba appears to have largely abandoned the youth policy that brought an energy to his team and won him support and praise qualifying for this year’s Afcon in Equatorial Guinea unbeaten, dumping defending champions Nigeria out of the qualifiers in the process.
The coach was unable to explain how Vision 2022 is progressing: “I wouldn’t answer that one. It will be like giving our plan away… We are about to achieve our vision to qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations, as well as the 2018 World Cup,” he said.
Bizarrely, and inexcusably, Mashaba’s son, Jabu, found his way into the press conference and was somehow allowed to ask a three-part question that included questioning the national pride of the journalists in the room. It was only a greater indication of the state of farce that has begun to follow Mashaba senior around.
Shakes goes on defensive
Mashaba missed a trick by, rather than putting a positive spin on an impressive victory against a strong, 38th-ranked Senegal at Orlando Stadium, dwelling on the negative and continuing to be defensive in the face of criticism.
An emotional Mashaba lashed out at criticism of an embarrassing 3-1 away defeat against Mauritania by an ill-prepared Bafana on Saturday that has left South Africa with a very slim hope of qualifying for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations. The coach said it had been difficult lifting his players’ spirits.
“And you know the reason,” he said. “It’s not about losing a game, but what is being said after losing.
“For the first time in my life I listened to all the radio stations, newspapers, television – not a single one was positive.”
Mashaba’s complaint was that criticism had been too personal. However the coach has still to accept responsibility for what could be considered gross negligence not knowing Bafana would meet Mauritania on an artificial surface in Nouakchott. Mashaba also has admitted to scant scouting of his opposition in the past.
The coach singled out Robert Marawa’s radio show, where he felt he had been asked loaded questions. However, the coach was advised by his Safa media handlers not to go on the show but had stubbornly gone anyway.
“My family said, ‘But why do you go and degrade yourself?’,” said Mashaba. “Because most of the questions were too personal. I’m a very friendly person when you deal with me in a friendly way. But you’ve got to show respect when you talk to me.
“Don’t misuse or abuse the platform that you have. Say now you ask me, ‘Do I owe the nation an apology?’. Do I say, ‘Yes?’. To me, that looks like I’m buying the nation not to hang me.
“And I’ve said to people, tomorrow morning I’m not going to the Safa offices. Look for me in the malls – that’s where I get solace, and ideas, talking to people. I’m not sitting in an office doing nothing, like people say, where everything I do is a thumb-suck.”
Mashaba appears to have largely abandoned the youth policy that brought an energy to his team and won him support and praise qualifying for this year’s Afcon in Equatorial Guinea unbeaten, dumping defending champions Nigeria out of the qualifiers in the process.
The coach was unable to explain how Vision 2022 is progressing: “I wouldn’t answer that one. It will be like giving our plan away… We are about to achieve our vision to qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations, as well as the 2018 World Cup,” he said.
Bizarrely, and inexcusably, Mashaba’s son, Jabu, found his way into the press conference and was somehow allowed to ask a three-part question that included questioning the national pride of the journalists in the room. It was only a greater indication of the state of farce that has begun to follow Mashaba senior around.
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