If Bafana Bafana loses to Egypt at Orlando goodbye Shakes Mashaba
Beleaguered Bafana Bafana coach Ephraim ‘‘Shakes” Mashaba is staring down the barrel of a loaded gun and it is set to go off soon after Tuesday’s friendly international against Egypt at Orlando Stadium.
Mashaba is effectively dead man walking and will be a former Bafana coach by the end of the week.
Insiders told Times Media Digital on Monday that the Bafana coach’s departure is a mere formality and the result of the Egypt encounter will determined whether he vacates the seat on Wednesday or at the end of the week.
‘‘If we lose to Egypt at Orlando‚ then he’s definitely gone‚” the insider said.
‘‘But if we win‚ he is then likely to go at the end of week after the Safa technical committee meeting.”
Bafana eliminated from 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualification in June‚ but Mashaba’s Safa employers were stung into action after the disappointing 1-1 draw with minnows Mauritania in Nelspruit on Friday night.
The match against Mauritania may have been a dead rubber but Safa officials felt that the lacklustre performance was the strongest indication yet that the team is not going to turn the corner under Mashaba.
Safa officials are concerned that Bafana failed to qualify from a Cup of Nations group that included Mauritania‚ Gambia and Cameroon.
That the national team could only manage a third place finish behind the 104th-ranked Mauritania set off alarm bells at Safa House and Mashaba’s days were numbered.
But despite the furious speculation around his future‚ Mashaba himself seemed oblivious to the commotion and said he was not aware of the pending doom.
‘‘I do not read newspapers and I know nothing about (this being his last match) until somebody comes and tells me ’this is what is happening’‚” Mashaba said on Monday.
‘‘I do not read newspapers and I am not joking‚ I am serious. If there is something that somebody wants to tell me‚ he has got to come to me.
‘‘If there is somebody who wants to tell me something‚ he must come to me.”
Bafana won just once in six matches in the Cup of Nations qualifiers and the feeling within Safa is that Mashaba will fail on the other mandate that was given to him - to qualify for the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
Bafana were drawn against Burkina Faso‚ the Cape Verde islands and Senegal in the World Cup qualifiers.
These sides are a step above Mauritania and Gambia and it is for this very reason that Mashaba now finds himself with his back against the wall.
While Safa CEO Dennis Mumble would not be drawn into the swirling rumours around Mashaba‚ he told Times Media Digital that there are far from impressed by the way Bafana are performing at the moment.
‘‘There is general dissatisfaction that the national team has not performed as expected‚” he said.
Mashaba was appointed as Bafana coach in July 2014 and after initially impressing in the first few months of his tenure and qualifying Bafana for the 2015 Cup of Nations‚ things have plunged south.