The Bafana Bafana slide continues unabated — with the Fifa rankings announced on Wednesday plummeting South Africa still further to 48th position in the world and eighth on the African continent. The previous Fifa rankings in October had Bafana 46th in the world and seventh in Africa.

With the indifferent recent form of favourites Orlando Pirates, Mamelodi Sundowns and Kaizer Chiefs providing them with the impetus to swoop into the forefront of the Premier Soccer League title race, Moroka Swallows are in no mood to falter against Classic at the Harry Gwala Stadium on Wednesday afternoon.

Ted Dumitru might be one of the few soccer voices not proclaiming in a loud and clear manner his imminent elevation as Bafana Bafana coach for the coming African Nations Cup tournament in Egypt — but the canny Romanian is predicting a major shake-up in the national team’s ranks nevertheless.

Crusty, ring-wise Romanian-born former Kaizer Chiefs, Mamelodi Sundowns and Orlando Pirates coach Ted Dumitru was on Monday unanimously proclaimed by the local soccer media as the hottest favourite to take over from Stuart Baxter as a caretaker Bafana Bafana coach for the African Nations Cup in Egypt early next year.

A devious conspiracy aimed at removing Stuart Baxter from his position as Bafana Bafana coach achieved its objective — and succeeded in sabotaging South Africa’s bid to qualify for the 2006 World Cup. This provocative view was expressed by Baxter on Thursday barely 48 hours after his resignation was officially announced.

Don’t switch off your TV set on Wednesday night if you are a soccer fan and have even an inkling of interest in the Premier Soccer League (PSL) championship race. For the first time on South African television, three PSL games will be televised simultaneously — and they involve Orlando Pirates, Mamelodi Sundowns and Kaizer Chiefs.

Not only did CEO Raymond Hack say on Monday that the South African Football Association (Safa) had received no correspondence from Stuart Baxter intimating he was resigning as Bafana Bafana coach, but he also confirmed that arrangements for the African Nations Cup were proceeding on the basis Baxter would be the national coach.

The Premier Soccer League’s (PSL) thriving R180-million industry is set to grow. This was the confident predicition from chairperson Irvin Khoza at Saturday’s annual general meeting of South African soccer’s professional wing. The league’s balance sheet reflected a healthy R6-million profit.

Bafana Bafana coach Stuart Baxter on Friday described a report that he had ”quit” as coach of the South African national soccer team as a ”complete fabrication”. A newspaper report proclaimed he had already ”quit” his position and would make an official announcement to this effect immediately after the Nelson Mandela Cup game on Saturday.

Premier Soccer League (PSL) CEO Trevor Phillips has grown tired of comforting and reassuring beaten, bruised and bewildered visitors to the PSL headquarters on the fringe of Harrow Road’s notorious ”Muggers’ Corner” — and finally persuaded the league to move from Doornfontein to a more circumspect area of Johannesburg.