OWN CORRESPONDENT, Accra | Sunday 4.15pm.
BAFANA Bafana Stalwart Mark Fish will retire from international soccer to concentrate on club football.
The long-serving vice-captain blamed the South African soccer on South African Football Association (Safa) for poor organisational skills.
The Bolton Wanderers defender, ironically defended coahc Trott Moloto, who is almost certainly on his way out after Bafana’s early exit from the African Nations Cup.
Their 2-0 loss to Nigeria in the semi-finals was blamed on Moloto’s insistence on a 3-5-2 formation, and on Fish’s letting Nigeria’s Babangida inside of him toscore in just 45 seconds.
“I have become tired of the way things have been run at national level,” Fish said. “There is no proper set-up and things are going from bad to worse. Nothing is organised properly, and, I am much better off playing for my club, as well as trying for a contract with a top club.
“When things are going great, everybody wants the credit, but once there are problems they look for someone to blame. I saw it happen to Clive Barker and Phillipe Troussier (both former national coaches), though I did not care much for Troussier.
“Now the same thing is happening to Trott and it makes me sick. Trott was good to us and does not deserve the treatment he is getting as other people try to cover their own backs.”
Fish follows Benni McCarthy — who announced his retirement last year, to be coaxed back by senior government officials.