De Sa seemingly on Safa’s radar for Bafana job
Despite SAFA denials, it would seem that former Ajax Cape Town and Orlando Pirates head coach Roger De Sa is a strong candidate to take charge of the senior national team.
De Sa has been out of a job for the last couple of months after a poor run of form at Ajax saw him parting ways with the Cape side by mutual agreement, despite having enjoyed a fairly successful overall stint at the club.
Maritzburg United are meanwhile without a head coach after Ernst Middendorp quit the club last month and with De Sa seemingly a perfect fit for the vacant position, Team of Choice chairman Farook Kadodia has made it quite clear that he wants the former Sundowns and Swallows goalkeeper to take charge of his club’s fortunes.
But according to Kadodia, a deal with De Sa is on hold because of the possibility that he will become the next Bafana Bafana coach.
“My target is Roger and nobody else. But he’s on the shortlist for the Bafana coach also, that’s why I’m saying I can’t talk too much until I know where we stand,” the Maritzburg boss told Kick Off.
Shakes Mashaba is still contracted as the national team coach. But he is currently suspended due to disciplinary reasons, with a hearing supposedly set to take place in the next week. This after Mashaba slammed his employers in a post-match interview after the 2-1 World Cup qualifying win over Senegal on November 12, for a perceived lack of support.
SAFA appear intent on sacking Mashaba and will be hoping to do so without having to pay out the remainder of his contract (one report claims he has 18-months still to run, which would be worth around R9 million).
It could be for this reason that cash-strapped association have refused to concede that De Sa is to be offered the job – if SAFA were to admit to already be lining up a new coach, that could strengthen Mashaba’s case for a payout.
“In normal circumstances, I would not even want to respond to such speculation but for the sake of football-loving fans would like to put the record straight by unequivocally dismissing such rumours,” SAFA CEO Dennis Mumble stated.
“People must understand there is a process which is underway and must await its conclusive outcome. No one must speculate or anticipate any outcome of this matter and no one must generate expectation around the position of Bafana Bafana coach because the post is not vacant.”
There is of course also the possibility that De Sa has not yet been formally approached with the Bafana job, and that he is merely keeping his options open and has asked Kadodia to give him some time, in the hope that he may be offered the job once Mashaba is gone. If SAFA decide to give the position to a local coach, the most obvious choices would surely be one of De Sa, Gavin Hunt or Pitso Mosimane.