Ephraim ‘‘Shakes” Mashaba has edged closer to a Bafana Bafana exit after he was hauled over the coals by unimpressed members of the South African Football Association’s (Safa) technical committee on Wednesday.
Mashaba was put through the wringer and asked to explain himself after Bafana’s failure to qualify for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations.
Some members of the committee went as far as suggesting that the embattled mentor should do the honorable thing and fall on his sword after an incident-riddled qualifying campaign that fizzled out with a disappointing 1-1 draw against minnows Mauritania two weeks ago.
A committee member told Tiso Blackstar Digital that they did not hold back in the meeting chaired by Anastasia Tsichlas and Abel Rakoma.
That the national team could only manage a third place finish behind the 104th-ranked Mauritania in the qualifiers – the other teams in the group were Cameroon and Gambia – has upset many at Safa House.
Mashaba was asked to explain, among others, how he arrived at the controversial selections that were a hallmark of his regime over the past few months. The committee was particularly interested in the criteria he used to name players to the national team.
He was also asked to explain why he’s continued to snub several European-based players who could have helped Bafana during the qualifying campaign.
The continued omission of players like Kamohelo Mokotjo, Kermit Erasmus and Ayanda Patosi, among others, from Bafana did not go down well with the committee.
The committee member told Tiso Blackstar Digital that Mashaba defended himself and claimed the lack of a clinical South African-born finisher was the reason Bafana failed to qualify for Gabon.
The Bafana coach argued that the best attacking talent employed in the Premier Soccer League hails from other countries and this contributed to his failure to qualify.
He also bemoaned the lack of time he has to prepare the national team ahead of international matches.
But the committee members were far from convinced and they will forward their recommendations to the Safa executive committee and the matter will be on the agenda at the meeting to be held on September 24.
The Bafana technical committee members are mindful of the tricky conundrum that Safa faces in deciding Mashaba’s future.
Bafana have an away 2018 Soccer World Cup qualifier against Burkina Faso in Ouagadougou on October 8.
This tricky encounter will be followed by a challenging qualifier against Senegal, to be played at an as yet unannounced South African venue on November 12.
Do they show Mashaba the door in the coming days and then appoint a caretaker or a new coach who will have little time to prepare the team before next month’s World Cup qualifiers?
Or do they take a risk and allow Mashaba to continue in the job in the hope that the coach will get his act together before the two games?
The committee members are toying with the idea of giving Mashaba an ultimatum and should he fail to get four points from the two games against Burkina Faso and Senegal, his dismissal will be a formality. — Tiso Black Star Group Digital
Shakes gets grilled over Bafana flops
Mashaba was put through the wringer and asked to explain himself after Bafana’s failure to qualify for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations.
Some members of the committee went as far as suggesting that the embattled mentor should do the honorable thing and fall on his sword after an incident-riddled qualifying campaign that fizzled out with a disappointing 1-1 draw against minnows Mauritania two weeks ago.
A committee member told Tiso Blackstar Digital that they did not hold back in the meeting chaired by Anastasia Tsichlas and Abel Rakoma.
That the national team could only manage a third place finish behind the 104th-ranked Mauritania in the qualifiers – the other teams in the group were Cameroon and Gambia – has upset many at Safa House.
Mashaba was asked to explain, among others, how he arrived at the controversial selections that were a hallmark of his regime over the past few months. The committee was particularly interested in the criteria he used to name players to the national team.
He was also asked to explain why he’s continued to snub several European-based players who could have helped Bafana during the qualifying campaign.
The continued omission of players like Kamohelo Mokotjo, Kermit Erasmus and Ayanda Patosi, among others, from Bafana did not go down well with the committee.
The committee member told Tiso Blackstar Digital that Mashaba defended himself and claimed the lack of a clinical South African-born finisher was the reason Bafana failed to qualify for Gabon.
The Bafana coach argued that the best attacking talent employed in the Premier Soccer League hails from other countries and this contributed to his failure to qualify.
He also bemoaned the lack of time he has to prepare the national team ahead of international matches.
But the committee members were far from convinced and they will forward their recommendations to the Safa executive committee and the matter will be on the agenda at the meeting to be held on September 24.
The Bafana technical committee members are mindful of the tricky conundrum that Safa faces in deciding Mashaba’s future.
Bafana have an away 2018 Soccer World Cup qualifier against Burkina Faso in Ouagadougou on October 8.
This tricky encounter will be followed by a challenging qualifier against Senegal, to be played at an as yet unannounced South African venue on November 12.
Do they show Mashaba the door in the coming days and then appoint a caretaker or a new coach who will have little time to prepare the team before next month’s World Cup qualifiers?
Or do they take a risk and allow Mashaba to continue in the job in the hope that the coach will get his act together before the two games?
The committee members are toying with the idea of giving Mashaba an ultimatum and should he fail to get four points from the two games against Burkina Faso and Senegal, his dismissal will be a formality. — Tiso Black Star Group Digital
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