Andrew Muchineripi : Soccer
For sheer suspense, the ongoing saga over who will succeed Monsieur Philippe Troussier as coach of the national team is beginning to rival an Agatha Christie thriller.
Dutchman Ruud Gullit was coming to Africa to transform Bafana Bafana into giants, only to be permanently distracted by the small matter of a few million pounds from Newcastle United.
The South African Football Association (Safa) obviously fancied someone from Holland because a former teammate of Gullit, Frank Rijkaard, suddenly popped up on a short list, only to accept an offer to coach his country 48 hours later.
Still more surprises were in store, with the arrival last week of that man of many English Premiership clubs, Ron Atkinson, who reportedly made a favourable impression in an interview.
If nothing else, the appointment of “Big Ron” would create some desperately needed competition for Sundowns public relations officer Alex “Goldfinger” Shakoane as to who displays the most jewellery.
As one shortlist follows another, the national association has reduced to six the number of candidates for a position worth a few more rand than you and I collect each month.
The other five contenders for a job guaranteed to keep heartburn tablet manufacturers in business, are locals Trott Moloto, Ephraim “Shakes” Mashaba and Gordon Igesund, Brazilian Carlos Alberto Parreira and Dutchman Ruud Krol.
So who are these foreigners and what do they have to offer South African soccer in general and Bafana Bafana in particular? Every one else has had their say so why not this humble member of the Muchineripi clan?
Let me begin by annoying every Atkinson supporter and state that I do not believe he is the right man for the job. Sure he has coached top clubs like Manchester United, but that is history.
What we need, first, is someone who will fall in love with African soccer (warts and all) and develop it. It must be someone with a missionary zeal because a difficult task lies ahead.
I suspect Atkinson is interested largely because no English club has offered him employment and should one do so, he will be off faster than Helman Mkhalele heading for goal.
The self-confessed lover of the sun (the item in the sky not the English tabloid) says he wants to work from England and employ his own coaches. Jobs for some unemployed friends, I presume.
Can a man so conditioned to the English way of playing football suddenly change his spots? He says he can but I am not sure. Sorry, Atkinson, rather stick to your role as a television analyst until Northampton Town come along.
Before I am accused of being xenophobic, I hasten to add that I have much more respect for Parreira and Krol and would happily roll out the red carpet at Johannesburg International for either gentleman.
Parreira has an impressive track record and scaled the highest peak four years ago by guiding Brazil to victory over Italy in Los Angeles and a record fourth World Cup triumph.
His latest adventure was less successful as he was fired by Saudi Arabia after they suffered a humiliating four-goal loss to eventual champions France in the World Cup.
Reportedly paid $1-million a year – that is R6,3-million the last time I checked the financial pages – by the Saudis, at least the Brazilian laughed all the way to the bank.
Mentioning money raises the issue of whether the national association can afford a top-class, expensive foreigner. Surely it can, following the injection of a R160- million sponsorship from Vodacom.
Krol would be somewhat cheaper and he does come from Holland. However, his record as a coach is not as impressive as his record as a member of the great Dutch teams of the 1970s.
Middle age readers with vivid memories should remember a tall, long-haired defender who swept out of defence like Franz Beckenbauer. That was Krol, and he wore the orange shirt 83 times.
He did well as coach of the Egyptian under- 23 team, guiding them to gold at the 1995 Africa Games. He did not do so well with the Egyptian senior team and was fired following quarter-final elimination from the 1996 African Nations Cup.
Krol has not set the world on fire either with his present employers -Egyptian club giants Zamalek – twice failing against arch-rivals Al-Ahly in the national championship and also making surprisingly little impact in Africa.
Among the locals, I would leave Mashaba with an under-23 squad about to start a qualifying programme for the 2000 Sydney Olympics and incorporate caretaker Bafana coach Moloto and Igesund from Manning Rangers into a unique set-up.
Unique in that I would choose a three-man team with Parreira leading and Moloto and Igesund assisting. This blend of international experience and local knowledge could lead Bafana Bafana to greater heights.