DELIBERATIONS to find a new Bafana Bafana coach starts this Saturday when the Safa technical committee will have their first meeting.
The committee, chaired by Natasha Tsichlas, is expected to have a robust debate as to should be given the responsibility of taking over the Bafana head coach reins.
Other members of the committee are former Kaizer Chiefs development coach Farouk Khan, Lucas Radebe, Buddha Mathathe and ex-Banyana Banyana mentor Greg Mashilo.
So urgent is the Bafana coaching matter that Safa president Danny Jordaan will fly back to Mzansi from the 2017 Afcon in Gabon to be part of the proceedings with the technical committee and Safa CEO Dennis Mumble at Safa House. Jordaan is currently on CAF duty in Gabon as a member of the Afcon Organising Committee.
The Bafana head coach position, which is one of the hottest seats in the country, became vacant last month after Ephraim “Shakes” Mashaba was shown the door following a disciplinary hearing.
Former Portugal coach and Manchester United assistant Carlos Queiroz has entered the race and is seen as having the inside track since he is a close associate of Jordaan.
Queiroz has also coached Real Madrid and Bafana in 2000.
“It is no secret that Queiroz and Jordaan have a very good relationship. It won’t be the first time they would have spoken because Queiroz should have been handed the job after the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
“I think money was the issue then and Mashaba was given the job,” said an official who opted to remain anonymous.
A well-placed Safa insider revealed that the matter was urgent and that a new coach had to be appointed pretty soon.
“We have to first identify the new person and then get the negotiations underway.
“The negotiations may take a long time and we have to take into consideration that we have Chan/Afcon qualifiers in March. The World Cup qualifiers don’t bother us so much because the next match is only in August,” added the insider.
Jordaan was in Zurich last week where he attended the Fifa 2016 Awards ceremony.
Diego Maradona and Frank Rijkaard were present at the function and that sparked rumours about Jordaan courting the two legends. However, a Safa statement ruled out both Maradona and Rijkaard and explained that none of the interactions were to discuss the Bafana vacancy.
