Safa were still mum late Thursday with regards to the future of Bafana Bafana coach Shakes Mashaba following his abrupt suspension on Sunday - barely a day after Bafana Bafana had beaten Senegal 2-1 in a World Cup qualifier in Polokwane.
Mashaba is alleged to have disrespected his bosses shortly after that match at the Peter Mokaba Stadium and was seen wagging his finger at a TV interviewer and the team media officer, claiming that he was a ‘dead’ man prior to the 2018 World Cup qualifier against the Lions of Teranga. He did not want to speak to the media.
The coach told both local and foreign journalists at the post-match press conference that the victory had given him a ‘new lease of life’. But he had already upset the Safa hierarchy, including president Danny Jordaan and chief executive Dennis Mumble, who he is believed to have had a screaming match with in the tunnel after his reaction to the important win.
Top Safa officials told The Star earlier this week that Mashaba would be hauled before a disciplinary hearing for insubordination as his behaviour was unacceptable for a staff member and would be given three days to appeal the charges. It was unclear Thursday night, however, whether he’d been officially charged with no further comment from Nasrec.
Mashaba did not travel with Bafana to Maputo this week for a friendly against Mozambique at the Estadio do Zimpeto. It is believed the coach learnt of his suspension at OR Tambo International on Sunday evening before the national team boarded a flight to Maputo.
Mashaba was appointed Bafana coach in July 2014, hitting the ground running and guiding a youthful side to the Africa Cup of Nations in Equatorial Guinea six months later. He has not been able to repeat the same feat in Bafana’s quest to take part in next year’s continental competition, held in Gabon this time around.
It is for this reason that Mashaba’s spell to date has been under scrutiny, but he was allowed to carry on with his job and began the World Cup qualifiers with a 1-1 draw away to Burkina Faso in Ouagadougou last month.
The win over Group D favourites Senegal put South Africa on four points, with Burkina Faso leading the pack with the same number of points following their win over Cape Verde, but occupying top spot because of a superior goal difference. Bafana’s next qualifier is against Cape Verde on August 28 next year, which gives Safa more than enough time to find a replacement should he be sacked.
Mashaba, 66, has a contract with Safa until the end of the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
Follow Mazola Molefe on Twitter@superjourno
The Star