SAFA CEO Mumble blames Bafana players for Cape Verde disasters

19 September 2017 - 16:53 By Marc Strydom
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Dr Danny Jordaan (SAFA President) and Dennis Mumble (CEO of SAFA) during the Special Announcement by SAFA President, Dr Danny Jordaan at SAFA House on June 28, 2017 in Johannesburg.
Dr Danny Jordaan (SAFA President) and Dennis Mumble (CEO of SAFA) during the Special Announcement by SAFA President, Dr Danny Jordaan at SAFA House on June 28, 2017 in Johannesburg.
Image: GALLO IMAGES

South African Football Association CEO Dennis Mumble has blamed the players for Bafana Bafana’s appalling World Cup qualifying defeats against Cape Verde‚ saying he has met with coach Stuart Baxter to ask for answers on the disaster.

Bafana’s Russia 2018 hopes took a major blow with their 2-1 defeats in Praia on September 1 and Durban on September 5.

Mumble confirmed he had met with Baxter‚ as intended‚ to grill the coach on the poor performances in the shock defeats against 114th-ranked Cape Verde.

However Safa’s CEO‚ officially at least‚ said on Tuesday that the main reason for the defeats was that the players did not rise to the occasion.

“I meet with him (Baxter) on a regular basis. But the discussion is now focused on what happened in those two matches‚” Mumble said.

“I have said it‚ and I will say it once again: the players did not perform.

“And they must account. Unfortunately the reality is if you did not perform you are not going to be selected.

“And I want to make sure that we don’t make the same mistakes again as in the previous two matches.

“I don’t want to go and tell the coach whom to select. It’s his choice – we will never interfere in that.

“But also we must know how it’s going to improve.”

Bafana still have an outside chance of qualification‚ but need to beat Burkina Faso in SA on October 7‚ then Senegal twice in November‚ at home in the match controversially ordered replayed by Fifa‚ then in Dakar in their final match on November 6.

Mumble said his meetings with Baxter were aimed at establishing how to avoid a repeat of the Cape Verde disasters.

“I met him on the Wednesday after the second match coming from Durban‚ I met him again last Thursday‚ I will meet him again this week and I will meet him again next week‚” Mumble said.

“Tomorrow there is the team announcement for the Burkina Faso match.

“And I will continue to meet with him‚ but to focus a little bit more sharply on our performance and what else we need to make sure that team needs to succeed.”

 - TimesLIVE


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