Bafana Bafana coaches have a long history of talking their way into trouble

The Bafana Bafana coaching seat remains one of the hottest in South African sport and many of the men who have occupied it have inadvertently gotten into trouble more for their utterances rather than the national team's performances on the pitch.

Bafana coaches in their own words shortly before their names were removed from the South African Football Association’s human resources department.

• Bafana coach 'Shakes' Mashaba suspended for insulting Safa presidentBeleaguered Bafana Bafana coach Ephraim “Shakes” Mashaba has been asked by his employers to step aside from his job after he disrespected his boss, South African Football Association (Safa) president Danny Jordaan, in the full glare of the television cameras in Polokwane on Saturday. 

Ephraim ‘‘Shakes” Mashaba (November 2016) ‘‘What does this win (over Senegal in a 2018 World Cup qualifier) mean to me? It’s a second lease of life. I was dead already‚ and that is why I say it came as a second lease of life. ‘‘You know in life you can do 99‚9% good things‚ very good things‚ but people will forget that and challenge you with the 0‚1% mistake that you did. ‘‘So I do not think it is a question of the doubting Thomases but it is a lack of respect for people.”

— Mashaba was suspended on Sunday after these comments and he is not expected to survive his disciplinary hearing.

Gordon Igesund (May 2014) “It has taken two years to get us to where we are right now and it would be such a shame if one is not able to finish what one started. What I am happy about is you guys have been here in Auckland and you have seen what happened.”

— Safa decided against renewing his contract two months later.

Pitso Mosimane (January 2012) ‘‘After we went to Mbombela everybody wrote anything they wanted to write about us‚ calling me a fool. I am not a fool. In the field of play I am not a fool. Maybe I’m not good with the rules but I am the coach. There that’s my work‚ that’s where you must judge me. Not with the books or papers or laws or rules that change anyhow‚ any day they want to change.”

— Safa parted ways with the passionate coach five months later.

Joel Natalino Santana (October 2009) “I was not appointed to win friendly matches and nowhere was it indicated that I also had to win the friendlies before the World Cup. I do not think that I will be fired (for losing to Iceland in a friendly match) because I have never heard of a coach who was fired for losing friendly games‚” he said.”

— He was fired two days after the outburst at OR Tambo International Airport.

— TMG Digital