Safa CEO: Banyana coach candidates ‘want too much’

05 January 2018 - 14:27 By Sazi Hadebe
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Banyana Banyana team during the South African womens national soccer team media open day at Nike Football Training Centre, Soweto on October 18, 2017 in Johannesburg.
Banyana Banyana team during the South African womens national soccer team media open day at Nike Football Training Centre, Soweto on October 18, 2017 in Johannesburg.
Image: Lefty Shivambu/Gallo Images

Banyana Banyana winning the 2017 Women’s National Team of the Year award at the Caf Awards 2017 in Accra‚ Ghana on Thursday night has reopened questions about the delayed appointment of the team’s head coach.

The position became vacant in August 2016 when Vera Pauw resigned following the team’s failure to go beyond the first round in the Rio Olympics.

Former Banyana captain Desiree Ellis has been acting as caretaker-coach and her stock has been rising ever since.

She won the Cosafa Women Championship in September last year‚ a victory that resulted in the team’s award in Accra.

In September Safa CEO Dennis Mumble told TimesLIVE that they had three candidates earmarked for the job but could not appoint one because the association could not agree terms with them.

On Friday Mumble promised – though not for the first time – to conclude the appointment soon.

“We had a meeting in early December and we agreed that we will go and touch bases with the remainder of the candidates‚” Mumble said.

“I must call a meeting with that task team next week so that we can take the final decision once and for all because we had problem with the other candidates.

“One of the problems was their contractual demands‚ which meant we have to dig deep to the resources we didn’t have. I mean we don’t even pay that kind of money to our men’s team coach.

“I was then given a task to go and get the second candidate on the list‚ which I have and I want to report back to them next week. Yes we are close to making that decision.”

The appointment of Banyana coach will be critical this year as the team embark on a qualification journey‚ starting on February 26‚ for the 2018 African Women Cup of Nations.

Ghana will be hosts of the eight-nation tournament between November 17 and December 1.

The tournament acts as Africa’s qualification for 2019 Fifa Women’s World Cup which will be hosted by France next year.

In one of their final preparations for the qualifiers‚ Banyana are hosting a friendly against Sweden in Cape Town on January 24‚ and Ellis announced a strong squad of 26 players this week.

The team includes four USA-based players: Kaylin Swart‚ Jermaine Seoposenwe‚ Amogelang Motau and Kelso Peskin.

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