Bafana Bafana’s new coach, Joel Santana, faced a scrum of media photographers when he arrived on Sunday at Johannesburg’s OR Tambo airport.
It took Santana’s South African Police Service escort less than a minute to whisk Santana out of the airport and into his car en route to his hotel.
The coach did not speak to reporters but the South African Football Association’s CEO, Raymond Hack, stated he would be introduced to the media at a press conference at Safa House on Monday at 2pm.
Santana replaces fellow Brazilian Carlos Alberto Parreira who caused a major shock last month when he resigned due to the ill health of his wife. Parreira won the World Cup with Brazil in 1994 when the world showpiece was staged in the United States.
Santana will coach Bafana until the end of the 2010 World Cup finals to be staged in South Africa. He will earn R1,5-million per month. Parreira was paid R1,8-million per month.
Santana met his two assistant coaches, Jairo Leal and Pitso Mosimane, for the first time on Sunday.
Hack told reporters: ”Santana will be meeting with his technical team over the next three days to familiarise himself with his new players before announcing his squad to play Nigeria in the central Nigerian city of Abuja on June 1 in the opening Group 4 2010 African Nations Cup qualifier.
”The two assistant coaches will help Santana select the squad for Nigeria which will be announced on Wednesday. Santana will not answer questions on the squad at Monday’s briefing as he will not have had time to find his feet. But he is prepared to discuss tactics and other aspects of his career. But on Wednesday he will be up to speed and discuss his new squad.”
Santana has no experience of coaching an international team, though he has won the Rio de Janeiro State Championships four times. He faces a tough challenge when he leads the Bafana side against Bafana’s old enemies Nigeria.
Hack also said that Santana’s work permit was in order and that there would be no repeat of the confusion over getting a work permit for Parreira.
He said that Santana was keen to watch a local Premier Soccer League (PSL) match on Sunday, which sees the final round of the premiership.
Said Hack: ”The coach indicated he would like to watch one of the PSL matches today. He is also keen to get started coaching Bafana. He has had discussions about Bafana players with Parreira.”
Santana’s wife — who Hack assures in good health — has stayed behind in Brazil. He has a daughter who is a dentist working in Paris, France. — Sapa