Shakes slams Khoza

Shakes Mashaba launched a scathing attack on Premier Soccer League chairman Irvin Khoza yesterday, blaming him for the unavailability of his preferred under-23 players.

The Baby Bafana coach suggested Khoza has had it in for him since 1997, when he guided the national under-20 team to the Youth Championships in Malaysia - a side that was captained by Matthew Booth.

This time he is battling to get the "core of the team" together and has been told he is not doing his job following the alleged failure to submit a list of his requirements to the PSL, the coach said.

"Why always me?" Mashaba said. "Just because I didn't walk out of the Safa offices to go straight to the PSL chairman doesn't mean I did not do my job. I submitted my schedule, but the system failed me."

Mashaba's team was scheduled to travel to Algeria last night to play two friendlies against the national side in preparation for the African under-23 Championships taking place in Morocco at the end of the month - a qualifying tournament for next year's London Olympics.

Should they finish as one of the top three teams at the tournament, Baby Bafana will qualify for the Games.

The fourth-placed finisher will play off (home and away) against their counterparts in the Asian Football Confederation.

The coach said he had only 17 of the 24 players he initially called up, and held Khoza responsible.

The Premier League chairman has stood by his claims that Mashaba had not submitted a programme ahead of the new season.

According to Khoza, Bafana coach Pitso Mosimane met the chairman to discuss how the league could assist the senior national team for the Nations Cup qualifiers - giving them more time to prepare.

"There was a meeting between myself and league administrators Ronnie Schloss, Jonathan [Schloss's son] and [PSL general manager] Derek Blackensee two months ago, and I gave them my schedule," said Mashaba.

"The programme was from the qualifying stages of the Olympics right through to the top eight stages of the under-23 championships. I told the chairman [Khoza] about this, but he didn't even question his administrators."

Mashaba said he did not see the need to schedule a meeting with Khoza as the PSL administrators he met with were supposed to "report back to the chairman".

The coach said Khoza is now using this against him.

"I wouldn't call this a misunderstanding. I submitted my schedule and he says I didn't. But I am used to this, it started in 1997 when I was in charge of the under-20s. Even when I was the Bafana coach I struggled to get players, and Khoza was always involved," said Mashaba.

"I am not a liar, but the chairman depicts me as one. This team [Baby Bafana] has the widest range of players to pick from, but I always struggle to get the ones I want."