Baxter back for Bafana

05 May 2017 - 09:50 By MNINAWA NTLOKO
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United coach Stuart Baxter.
United coach Stuart Baxter.
Image: VELI NHLAPO

Briton Stuart Baxter's return to the Bafana Bafana coaching seat he vacated in 2005 will draw mixed reaction from the nation's soccer lovers after the protracted search for Ephraim ''Shakes" Mashaba's successor finally came to an end yesterday afternoon.

The Supersport United coach comes up short when measured against the criteria set by his new employers, the South African Football Association (Safa), at the beginning of the year.

One of the conditions is that the new Bafana coach should have international coaching experience, ''especially in African competition within the past five to 10 years".

Bafana are the only national team he has coached in Africa - between 2004 and 2005.

Many of those opposed to his appointment took to social media yesterday to point out that he quit the same Bafana job in November 2005 after failing to get the national side to the 2006 World Cup.

He won 10 of 23 games in charge of Bafana the first time round, drawing six and losing seven.

Safa confirmed Baxter's appointment yesterday but did not reveal the names of his technical team. The length of his contract with Bafana was also not made public.

According to a statement issued by Safa, the Briton will be officially announced to the public in the coming days by Safa president Danny Jordaan when the latter returns to South Africa from Confederation of African Football and Fifa commitments in Egypt.

Bafana have a crucial 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Nigeria early next month and Supersport have agreed to allow Baxter to be part of the national team's preparations.

''Safa and Supersport United have agreed to work together to ensure that Baxter gets time off after the final league match on May 27, to prepare Bafana for the Afcon match against Nigeria."

United remain in the Nedbank Cup and club CEO Stanley Matthews stressed that Baxter would be expected to remain at the helm until the conclusion of the domestic cup competition.

"But right now our focus, and that of Stuart's, has to be on a strong finish to the League, becoming the first club to retain the Nedbank Cup and to fight our way through the group stages of the CAF Confederation Cup," Matthews said.

''We are glad that this matter has now been settled and we can all focus on the job at hand, which is meeting our football targets for this season and planning ahead for next season."

While Baxter's first spell as Bafana coach was no great shakes, he has since gone on to enjoy considerable domestic success, including two league championships in three years at Chiefs, as well as a Nedbank Cup victory with Supersport in May last year

To his benefit, he is a lot wiser this time and has a better understanding of the environment he is entering as Mashaba's successor.

The Bafana coaching seat has been vacant since Mashaba was sacked in December.

The former Bafana coach is challenging his dismissal and has taken his case to the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration.

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