adminJohannesburg – Following the dismissal of Bafana Bafana coach Gordon Igesund on Monday, South African Football Association (Safa) president Danny Jordaan and the National Executive Committee have commenced with the search for a new coach to take the national team forward. Igesund was given the boot by the country’s governing body after they decided against renewing his two-year contract which is set to elapse at the end of July.
Addressing reporters at Safa house in Nasrec on Monday, Jordaan remained mum on the name of Igesund’s successor despite former coach and current Iran mentor, Carlos Queiroz, being rumoured to take over.
He said the search for a new coach is underway and that it possibly won’t be a local coach.
“We are now in search for a new coach,” Jordaan told reporters.
“We are not going to worry or check where the new coach comes from. We just need him to do certain things for us. He must convince us that he can take us where we want to go.
“I think we all want a successful Bafana Bafana team. That’s all we want.”
Igesund took over the Bafana hot seat from Pitso Mosimane back in June 2012.
His mandate was to qualify for the Fifa World Cup in Brazil and also reach the 2013 Afcon semi-finals on home soil, including winning the African Nations Championship (Chan) in South Africa earlier this year.
The most decorated coach in the history of South African football failed to reach any of those mandates.
Meanwhile Igesund says he is deeply disappointed by the South African Football Association’s decision not to retain him as the Bafana Bafana coach. Addressing the media yesterday, Igesund described his tenure at the helm of Bafana as a “distinct privilege and honour” and said he hands over a far better team than the one he inherited. — Sport 24
Online Reporter