Baxter pledges to take Bafana Bafana to new heights
The new Bafana Bafana head coach Stuart Baxter was finally unveiled for a second stint with the national team at the South African Football Association (SAFA) headquarters in Johannesburg.
It was the final chapter in a story which had been in the making since December 2017 when Shakes Mashaba was shown the exit door at SAFA House.The search for the Bafana Bafana coach started with more than 70
applicants, which were sent to SAFA expressing interest.
The shortlist was eventually narrowed down to three applicants by a specially appointed eight-person SAFA Technical Search Group headed up by President Danny Jordaan.
The final shortlist was carved down to Herve Renard, Hugo Broos and successful applicant Baxter.
SAFA CEO Dennis Mumble confirmed that following the finalisation of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), Baxter had penned a five year contract with the country's Football governing body.
Baxter has undertaken to complete his tenure with SuperSport United, but his immediate challenge as national mentor is to prepare Bafana for the 2018 FIFA World Cup and the 2019 Africa Cup of
Nations.
“As the South African Football Association (SAFA) we are pleased to welcome Stuart Baxter back at Bafana Bafana. We are confident we have made the right choice and with him at helm, we will qualify for both the World Cup in 2018 and the Africa Cup of Nations in 2019," said Jordaan.
“With our search, we made sure we go for the right man for the job and we would like to thank the media for keeping us on our toes with this appointment – because at the end of it all this is our team, all of us. Good luck to the new coach,” he added.
“I am back in this seat because I have belief – I believe that with the wealth of talent in this country we can qualify for things. While I know that this position goes with a lot of criticism, I also believe that if we work together as a country and take out all the negativity we can get somewhere. So my appeal is, with your support this national team can be great again – criticise if you must, but support is crucial,” said Baxter.
“This is not an easy task I am going into, but I have confidence that we will overcome.”
The starting point for the coach is to receive all materials in preparation for the upcoming match against Nigeria on Saturday, 10 June 2017 in Uyo, Nigeria.
These include the list of players who played in recent national team matches, video analysis and site inspection in Nigeria which will be undertaken by Bafana Bafana Team Manager Barney Kujane, who departs on Tuesday, 16 May. He will prepare a full report for the coach when he returns.
Upon receipt of the information, Baxter will then finalise his squad for Nigeria with his Technical Team.
