Danny Jordaan has said Safa want to keep the principle of synergy of coaches through the age groups‚ but will have discussions with whoever the new Bafana Bafana coach is before deciding on whether to retain the current incumbents.
The South African Football Association president emphasised that the system of junior coaches sitting on each other’s benches‚ up to the senior team‚ has worked in ensuring a smooth progression of players through the ranks‚ and must be retained.
Jordaan praised the work done by SA’s current junior coaches qualifying for major tournaments‚ though did not commit to them remaining in their jobs.
“We have said that what is important is the structure and the continuity from Under-17 to U-20 to U-23 to the senior national team‚” Jordaan said.
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“I think (previously) a lot of our players got lost because there’s not that working relationship and the integration of the technical staff. So as a principle‚ we will stick to that principle.
“And secondly‚ we will have to discuss it with whoever the new coach is.
“The fact of the matter is Molefi Ntseki took the U-17s to South Africa’s first participation at the U-17 the World Cup.
“This period in our history is the most successful in terms of qualification and participation of all of our teams.
“The U-20s have just lost their crown of being U-20 Cosafa champions‚ and qualified for their World Cup.
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“The U-23s – we were the only country on the continent to have had two teams (men and women) at the Olympics‚ and one of only eight in the world.
“So our teams have had great success – Ntseki‚ Thabo Senong as the U-20 coach‚ and [Owen Da Gama] with the U23s at the Rio Olympics.
“So there are tick marks behind their achievements in their particular category.”
SA’s U-20 and U-23 coaches‚ Senong and Da Gama‚ were assistants to previous Bafana head coach Shakes Mashaba‚ who was sacked in December.
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Senong was Da Gama’s U-23 assistant‚ and U-17 coach Ntseki was in turn assistant to Senong with the U-20s.
The system has worked well in terms of an exchange of information and knowledge of which players are ready to make the step up in age-group.
Safa are set to announce a new Bafana head coach this week‚ soon after Tuesday night’s friendly international against Angola in East London‚ Jordaan has said.
- TMG Digital/TMG Sport
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