/ 8 August 2005

Safa national team approach in disarray

Steve Komphela says that he has resigned as Bafana Bafana’s assistant coach because coach Stuart Baxter questioned his loyalty to the national team. But not everyone agrees with him.

Indeed, sources within the South African Football Association (Safa) have suggested the Bafana assistant coach was removed from his position and given the option to concentrate on the job of handling the affairs of the South African Under-23 team.

Either way, it has left Safa’s proclaimed policy of inserting a uniform approach and accord under the direction of the national coach in apparent disarray almost before it has been implemented.

If Komphela resigned as Bafana assistant coach, as he has openly stated, because of differences with Baxter, it will be extremely difficult for him to cooperate with and report to the national coach in his role with the South African Under-23 team.

And if Komphela’s incriminating account of why he left Bafana is open to question, it would presumably be even more difficult to work under the watchful eye of Baxter.

Complicating the issue further is the fact that the South African Under-23 team’s shaky progress towards qualifying for the 2008 Olympic Games received a further setback over the weekend with a 2-1 defeat against unfashionable Lesotho.

Baxter on Sunday said he had ”no comment to make” on Komphela’s departure from the Bafana ranks or whether he would now be able to work effectively with him in his role as South African Under-23 coach.

But the Bafana coach gave an indication on how he felt about the simmering controversy when he declared ”there is an agreement that Safa and Safa alone comment on the matter — and I have no intention of breaking this agreement”.

Baxter, in the meantime, confirmed he will announce the squad for this weekend’s Cosafa Cup semi final against Zambia in Mmabatho and the squad for the away game against Iceland on Wednesday. — Sapa