SAFA’s COSAFA Cup Conundrum: No Coach, No Squad For Bloemfontein

The South African Football Association (SAFA) is currently facing a significant challenge regarding the squad for the COSAFA Cup, which is set to be held in Bloemfontein next month.

Adding to this dilemma, SAFA does not have a designated coach for the tournament, as Bafana Bafana’s senior coach, Hugo Broos, and his assistant, Helman Mkhalele, will be excused from these duties.

Broos’s contract with SAFA stipulates that he will only coach Bafana Bafana in high-stakes matches, such as Africa Cup of Nations finals or qualifiers, and FIFA events.

Unlike the contracts of previous coaches Stuart Baxter and Shakes Mashaba, Broos’s agreement explicitly excludes him from being on the bench for COSAFA Cup and African Nations Championship (CHAN) tournaments.

Compounding the issue, the COSAFA Cup clashes with two friendly matches scheduled for the senior Bafana Bafana squad from June 6-10. Coach Hugo Broos announced a preliminary 41-member squad for these friendly matches on Thursday.

This team is set to face Tanzania on 6 June at Peter Mokaba Stadium, two days after the start of the COSAFA Cup, and four days later, they will play another opponent, which the SAFA technical committee is currently working to finalize. It is why SAFA has yet to announce the squad for the COSAFA Cup.

Namibia was initially slated to play Bafana Bafana on 10 June at Loftus Stadium, but they withdrew at the last minute after observing the strength of the Bafana Bafana squad named by Broos.

They reportedly feared a substantial defeat from the South African national team. Sportswire has been informed that another COSAFA nation will likely replace Namibia for the 10 June friendly.

Given that FIFA considers the COSAFA Cup seriously for its world rankings, SAFA is compelled to find a coach to lead the team in this tournament. It’s worth noting that FIFA included CHAN qualifying matches in its FIFA World Rankings announced in November and this year, and the Bafana Bafana B side’s victories in those qualifiers contributed to their improved ranking.

Sportswire has also learned that South Africa’s U/20 coach, Raymond Mdaka, who recently guided Amajita to win the U/20 Africa Cup of Nations on Sunday, will not be involved in leading the COSAFA Cup team either.

Previously, when faced with a similar predicament, SAFA turned to Morena Ramoreboli. However, he is unavailable as he was appointed as the coach of the Botswana national team.

The only remaining option for SAFA might be Molefi Ntseki, who previously stepped in to coach the CHAN qualifiers. However, as the Bafana Bafana B side has qualified for that tournament, scheduled to take place in a few months in East Africa, Ntseki might also be unavailable to lead the COSAFA team.

Furthermore, Ntseki has been mentioned as a potential candidate for the vacant technical director role following Walter Steenbok’s departure.