Safa ‘has to raise money’ to hire full-time junior team coaches: Motlanthe

SA Football Association (Safa) CEO Tebogo Motlanthe says the body cannot appoint permanent coaches for junior national teams because of financial setbacks.

The men’s U-20, U-17 and U-23 teams are without permanent coaches, a situation that has persisted for a few years.

Vela Khumalo, a full-time Kaizer Chiefs DStv Diski Challenge reserve team coach, is responsible for Amajita (the SA U-20s). Amajimbos (the U-17s) are coached by Duncan Crowie on a part-time basis and the U-23s have David Notoane, who is also working at Mamelodi Sundowns.

Last week Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos called for the association to appoint permanent coaches for these teams as the current structure does not help the association monitor and groom young talent.

“They are coming on an assignment basis when they are told to come. We have coaches,” Motlanthe told TimesLIVE this week.

The CEO said Safa would have to “raise money” to hire full-time coaches for the junior national teams.

“We have a new technical director [Walter Steenbok]. We will look at all possibilities on what we can do,” Motlanthe said.

“Also remember that as the association we depend on sponsors. We don’t want to employ someone and not pay that person. So of course we need to go out and try to raise that money if we want to have permanent coaches.

“But for now we do have coaches and they do a good job. The U-20s are getting into camp this week, U-17s are playing and the U-23s will also be playing soon.”

Broos said last week not having permanent coaches makes it hard for the SA junior teams to perform their role of sharpening players for Bafana, or to even hold camps, as their part-time coaches are busy with other things.

The last time the official U-23 team were together was a year ago when they took part in the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games in July 2021.

However, Motlanthe said there has not been complete inactivity for the junior SA sides' players and they will soon meet in camps.

“Our regions are playing U-17 football, and when it comes to a national team, of course you come together when you prepare for a bigger tournament. You will have your Caf games, you will have your Cosafa games which serve as qualifiers.

“That's why they are going to play now because there are qualifiers to be played.”

SA's qualifiers for the 2023 U-17 Africa Cup of Nations are expected to start in June. Amajita compete in the U-20 Cosafa Cup, a qualifier for the Nations Cup in that age group, in Eswatini in October.

The U-23s begin their qualifiers for the 2023 Nations Cup in October.