Did Stuart Baxter cost Bafana Bafana a place at the World Cup‚ or did Shakes Mashaba?

Did Stuart Baxter cost Bafana Bafana a place at the World Cup‚ or did Shakes Mashaba?

It’s a controversial question‚ and I’m sure to have the Twitter brigade at my throat for asking it.

Mashaba’s dismissal in December 2016‚ once the powder keg finally exploded at Peter Mokaba Stadium with his post-match rant at his Safa bosses‚ recorded on TV cameras after the World Cup win against Senegal in November‚ would always loom large over 2017.

So‚ too‚ would the South African Football Association’s (Safa) search for a successor.

And what a search it proved to be – five months passing from the sacking until a new man was appointed after countless Safa promises of an announcement – and the choice took most by surprise.

Baxter was the antithesis of Mashaba – not popular with the public‚ better at planning but less a father figure to the players.

Baxter had enjoyed far more success at domestic level‚ but lacked Mashaba’s extensive experience on the continent with all the levels of South African national teams.

It seemed a risk‚ especially since coaches with greater pedigree at international level‚ such as Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) winners Herve Renard and Hugo Broos‚ had declared their interest.

Once Safa president Danny Jordaan’s first choice of Carlos Queiroz became unavailable with a contract extension with Iran‚ Baxter seemed a third or fourth choice‚ and once again a cheaper option from Safa.

Still‚ the Brit‚ a twice-in-three-years double winner with Kaizer Chiefs‚ who rode an awkward month-long spell ending his contract at SuperSport United thrashing Orlando Pirates in the Nedbank Cup final‚ inherited a Bafana team showing potential to qualify for their first World Cup since 2002.

Mashaba’s away draw against Burkina Faso and win against Senegal late in 2016 had left South Africa in a healthy position‚ where good results in the back-to-back games against Cape Verde in September could almost seal a place at Russia 2018.

And Baxter got off to the finest start he could have wished for defeating Nigeria 2-0 in a 2019 Afcon qualifier in Uyo for Bafana’s first competitive win against the Super Eagles on June 10.

The coach’s planning had been meticulous‚ with a gameplan tailormade for the opposition. Though‚ it has to be said that the absence of John Mikel Obi and Victor Moses for Nigeria‚ who later guided the Eagles to World Cup qualification‚ seemed to affect Gernot Rohr’s young team.

These are the margins where coaches can get things right or wrong to a marginal extent that can be so costly‚ as Baxter would later find out to his peril.

Baxter seemed to quickly lose his way showing a finicky side to his character reluctantly piecing together third or fourth-choice combinations for a string of distracting games in the Cosafa Cup in Rustenburg and Moruleng‚ and Chan qualifiers against Botswana and Zambia.

With the controversial appointment of Quinton Fortune – so many times a Bafana absconder as a player – as an assistant-coach‚ much of the feel-good factor from the Nigeria win seemed to be lost.

Still‚ no-one could foresee the two defeats against Cape Verde Islands – 2-1 in Praia on September 1 and‚ even more damagingly‚ by the same scoreline in Durban four days later – that effectively blew Bafana’s Russia 2018 campaign out of the water.

In a group where no team seemed capable of convincingly grabbing the lead‚ South Africa still had their chances. But these were dealt a further blow when Fifa farcically annulled Bafana’s win against Senegal due to match manipulation findings against referee Joseph Lamptey. Safa’s decision not to appeal the ruling was as debatable.

Baxter’s selections had been harmfully questionable against Cape Verde‚ especially with a conservative lineup when a win was needed at Moses Mabhida Stadium.

The coach got things a lot better in a 3-1 win against Burkina Faso at FNB Stadium when Safa had to beg increasingly disgruntled fans to attend an October 7 qualifier.

But in the now must-win November 10 replayed game against Senegal the pressure was clearly on Bafana‚ who missed chances and conceded soft goals‚ while their opposition cruised – aware they still had the second game in Dakar four days later to seal qualification.

SA lost 2-0 in Polokwane despite some fine football in the first half. They capitulated to Stephane Badji’s 90th-minute strike in a 2-1 defeat in Dakar.

In the end‚ who was to blame for the embarrassment of an eventual last-placed finish on four points in Group D in a campaign that at one stage held such promise?

In some part‚ Mashaba for his rant that got himself fired.

In another part Safa for firing the coach rather than reprimanding him‚ not learning from past experience that a change of coach in a qualifying campaign is inadvisable‚ then taking an absurd amount of time to appoint a successor‚ and an untried one at that.

In some part Baxter for his poor team selections against Cape Verde and also Senegal.

In some part‚ also‚ the players‚ some of whom partied in Durban after the second defeat against Cape Verde‚ and who never showed the mettle or professionalism that could have carried them to a World Cup‚ and then be successful there.

And with so many people to blame‚ it’s hard to pinpoint exactly where the improvement should come should 2018 be a better year.

Suffice than to say it should come from all parties still involved in this poor excuse for a national team‚ whom South Africans‚ after years of suffering‚ are increasingly losing patience with.

Bafana Bafana’s 2017 results:

March 25: South Africa 3 Guinea-Bissau 1 - International friendly - Moses Mabhida Stadium

March 28: South Africa 0 Angola 0 - International friendly - Buffalo City Stadium

June 10: Nigeria 0 South Africa 2 - Afcon qualifier - Godswill Akpabio International Stadium

June13: South Africa 1 Zambia 2 - International friendly - Moruleng Stadium

July 2: South Africa 0 Tanzania 1 - Cosafa Cup - Royal Bafokeng Stadium

July 4: Botswana 0 South Africa 2 - Cosafa Cup - Moruleng Stadium

July 7: South Africa 1 Namibia 0 - Cosafa Cup - Moruleng Stadium

July 15: Botswana 0 South Africa 2 - Chan qualifier - Francistown Stadium

July 22: South Africa 1 Botswana 0 - Chan qualifier - Moruleng Stadium

August12: South Africa 2 Zambia 2 - Chan qualifier - Buffalo City Stadium

August 19: South Africa 0 Zambia 2 - Chan qualifier - Levy Mwanawasa Stadium

September 1: Cape Verde Islands 2 South Africa 1 - World Cup qualifier - Praia

September 5: South Africa 1 Cape Verde Islands 2 - World Cup qualifier - Moses Mabhida Stadium

October 7: South Africa 3 Burkina Faso 1 - World Cup qualifier - FNB Stadium

November 10: South Africa 0 Senegal 2 - World Cup qualifier - Peter Mokaba Stadium

November 14: Senegal 2 South Africa 1 - World Cup qualifier - Peter Mokaba Stadium

Record:

P16 W7 D2 L7