Bafana Bafana coach Stuart Baxter has displayed a level of deception saying it was never his mandate to qualify for the 2018 World Cup in the wake of Bafana Bafana's decisive 2-0 defeat against Senegal in Polokwane on Friday night.
The South African Football Association (Safa), though, should also not be exonerated for yet another failure to reach the global showpiece.
Safa president Danny Jordaan must bear responsibility for the manner in which he overruled the recommendations of his technical committee, and Safa's own criteria, acting in a perceived dictatorial manner appointing Baxter in a lengthy process after Ephraim "Shakes" Mashaba was fired in December.
Mandate was never about qualifying
One of the men who was available, but whose demands Safa did not want to meet - twice Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) winner Herve Renard - was on the verge last night of steering Morocco to the World Cup. They needed a draw away against Ivory Coast to progress.
As long as Safa seeks out the cheaper option, they will continue having to return spoiled goods to the supermarket.
But most surprising was Baxter's appraisal of his own task, in his post-match TV interview on Friday night.
"My mandate was never about qualifying for the World Cup, or you can go home. But I want to make sure that we are making progress," he told SuperSport...