Football

Bafana Bafana head coach sacked

Published

3 years ago

March 31, 2021

Bafana Bafana coach Molefi Ntseki has been fired, South African Football Association (SAFA) CEO Teboho Motlanthe announced at a press conference on Wednesday.

This follows Sunday’s 2-0 defeat to Sudan in Omdurman that saw Bafana fail to qualify for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon), when a draw would have seen the South Africans reach the tournament finals in Cameroon in January and February next year.

“The decision was taken at about 10am. This was an NEC decision, it was taken in a round robin,” Motlanthe said.

Bafana, hit by some withdrawals due to a FIFA circular saying clubs did not have to release players over COVID-19, had also failed to beat an even more understrength Ghana at FNB Stadium on Thursday.

That result, though, had been left mostly academic by the Confederation of African Football’s (CAF) head-to-head ruling, with the mathematical permutations indicating that Bafana needed a draw or win away to Sudan in their closing match.

Ghana, who beat Bafana 2-0 in the opening game in Cape Coast in November 2019, topped Group C with 13 points.

Sudan qualified in second place with 12, Bafana were third with 10 and Sao Tome and Principe had zero.

In mitigation, Ntseki faced some of the toughest, if not the toughest, circumstances encountered by a Bafana coach.

On top of that, the former SA under-17 national coach also lacked experience at senior level.

He was appointed to replace the head coach he was assistant to, Stuart Baxter, in late August 2019.

Baxter resigned in early August 2019, weeks after steering Bafana to a quarterfinal place at the 2019 Afcon finals in Egypt.

Ntseki immediately faced challenges.

His first match was called off, with a full-strength Bafana squad in place, when Zambia and then Madagascar pulled out of the friendly in September 2019 in response to attacks on foreigners in SA.

In 2020, a global pandemic obliterated the international calendar.

COVID-19 meant Bafana played four matches last year, making the already challenging job for a national coach of establishing a synergy and combinations within his squad even tougher for Ntseki.

Some of CAF’s scheduling for Bafana in the 2021 qualifiers has been questioned, as Bafana always seemed to have a day less than opponents to travel and prepare.

This was balanced out by the fact that, due to COVID-19, Bafana played both wins against Sao Tome at home in November 2020.

Ultimately, Ntseki’s test was whether he could qualify for the COVID-19-delayed Cameroon 2021 Afcon finals, and Bafana had that opportunity against late-charging Sudan, but did not take it.

With the 2022 World Cup group stage qualifiers set to kick off in late May or early June, SAFA will seek a replacement with some senior experience, and will have to move with uncharacteristic haste appointing them.

AmaZulu coach and Bafana’s all-time leading scorer Benni McCarthy, ex-international midfielder and former SuperSport United and Maritzburg United coach Eric Tinkler and Pitso Mosimane, coach of Al Ahly in Egypt, have already been speculated on as potential candidates for SAFA to approach. – Times Live

Up Next

Guardiola exorcises City’s Champions League demons

Don't Miss

Ex-Celtic striker bolsters Chiefs attack

Click to comment

Football

End of an era: Bloemfontein Celtic is no more

Published

2 years ago

August 17, 2021

The Free Stater

Staff Reporter

The Premier Soccer League (PSL) has finalised the transfer of business between Bloemfontein Celtic and the KwaZulu-Natal based Royal AM.

A circular issued by the PSL on Tuesday and addressed to the chairpersons and chief executive officers of all member clubs says the football body has approved the transfer of business and advises of the team’s name change and relocation.

“The club previously known as Bloemfontein Celtic will participate in the DSTV Premiership as Royal AM this season, with its home venue at Chatsworth Stadium,” reads part of the circular.

The sale will bring to an end the team’s colourful 52 years of existence after it was founded by Norman Mathobisa and Victor Mahatane in 1969.

Celtic has been dogged by financial troubles over the past few years with players failing to get their salaries on time on several occasions.

This is said to have forced club owner Max Tshabalala to hand over the team to Durban businesswoman and socialite Shawn Mkhize for R50 million.

Mkhize owns First Division side Royal AM and wanted to elevate her profile in the male-dominated field by buying Celtic’s premiership status.

She has since sold her team to pursue her dream of owning a soccer team in the top-flight league, the PSL confirmed.

“The club previously known as Royal AM will participate in GladAfrica Champioship as Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila, with its home venue at Thohoyandou Stadium,” the circular explained.

Football

Bloem Celtic believed sold

Published

2 years ago

August 14, 2021

The Free Stater

Staff Reporter

Unconfirmed reports say the financially troubled Bloemfontein Celtic have sold their Premier Soccer League (PSL) status to Durban businesswoman and socialite Shawn Mkhize for R50 million.

The PSL executive committee is said to have okayed the deal when it met on Friday.

Not much detail is known about the sale of the only DSTV Premiership side in the Free State as all parties involved in the deal have not divulged any information.

Celtic have been dogged by financial troubles over the past few seasons amid rumours that club owner Max Tshabalala was ready to let go of the team.

All that’s left, according to media reports, is for Mkhize – who owns National First Division outfit Royal AM – to pay the R50 million in order to finalise the deal.

It’s believed the move would see Bloemfontein Celtic relocating to KwaZulu-Natal Province and assume a new name.

The team was founded by Norman Mathobisa and Victor Mahatane in 1969.

Football

Hugo Broos named as new Bafana Bafana coach

Published

3 years ago

May 5, 2021

The Free Stater

Belgian Hugo Broos has been named the new coach of Bafana Bafana‚ the South African Football Association (SAFA) announced on Wednesday.

Broos, 69, arrives with an impressive CV‚ most notably having won league titles in Belgium with Club Brugge twice and once with Anderlecht‚ and led Cameroon to the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations title.

The announcement was made at the SABC’s Radio Park in Auckland Park.

Broos’ name is believed to have been one of five that SAFA’s technical committee confirmed as their shortlist to an NEC meeting on April 24.

That list‚ sources have said‚ consisted of Portuguese ex-Bafana and Real Madrid coach Carlos Queiroz‚ AmaZulu coach Benni McCarthy‚ Al Ahly coach Pitso Mosimane‚ Kaizer Chiefs boss Gavin Hunt and either Broos or Saudi Arabia coach Herve Renard.

SAFA‚ sources had revealed‚ approached both Queiroz and McCarthy in recent weeks‚ but the association was unable to meet demands from both regarding the fellow technical staff they wanted the association to appoint.

Broos replaces Molefi Ntseki‚ who was released from his contract as Bafana head coach on March 31‚ after the national team’s failure to qualify for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations.

A 1970s and 1980s defender who earned 24 caps for Belgium‚ Broos’ playing career was spent mostly at RSC Anderlecht (350 appearances) and Club Brugge (161).

He began his coaching career at RWD Molenbeek in 1988‚ and from 1991 to 1997 at Club Brugge won league titles in 1991-92 and 1995-96‚ the Belgian Cup in 1994-95 and 1995-96‚ and Belgian Supercup in 1991‚ 1992‚ 1994 and 1996.

Coaching Anderlecht from 2003 to 2005 he won the 2003-04 league title.

He coached the late former Bafana right-back Anele Ngcongca at KRC Genk in 2008.

Since then his career has taken him to Panserraikos in Greece‚ Trabzonspor in Turkey‚ Al Jazira in United Arab Emirates‚ JS Kabylie and NA Hussein Dey in Algeria‚ and then Cameroon from 2016 to 2017.

Most recently he was sports director, then caretaker-manager of Oostende‚ where Mamelodi Sundowns star Andile Jali played until 2018‚ in Belgium between 2018 and 2019.

Broos was sacked as coach of the Indomitable Lions by the Cameroonian Football Federation in December 2017‚ 10 months after he led them to their fifth Africa Cup of Nations title in Gabon that year‚ reportedly over pay issues.

Cameroon beat Egypt 2-1 in the Nations Cup final on February 5 2017.

They had progressed through the group stage with a win and two draws‚ then beat Senegal on penalties in the quarterfinals‚ and Ghana 2-0 in the semis.

Having coached in North and West Africa on the continent‚ Broos will have an adjustment to make to a different playing style and mental approach in South Africa.

He also must undergo a quick crash course on SA football and the players he has available as Bafana’s 2022 Qatar World Cup group stage qualification campaign begins with the match against Zimbabwe in Harare on the weekend of June 5 to 6. – Times Live