2016 was a year of soccer drama — both on the field of play and off
As the year draws to a close‚ and with the football fraternity on holiday, now is a good time to reflect on the biggest controversies of the game in South Africa in 2016. 1 The firing of Ephraim Mashaba: The real drama was left for the last few weeks of the year as the South African Football Association fired their coach for insubordination. They went through the formality of a disciplinary process to ensure they would be left with no obligation to the 66-year-old. Mashaba was headed for the chop after the country won just one game in their 2017 African Nations Cup qualifying campaign‚ finishing third in their group‚ even behind the lowly rankled Mauritania. But an away draw in Burkina Faso in October at the start of the 2018 World Cup qualifiers kept Mashaba in the job and the 2-1 home win over Senegal in the next qualifier in Polokwane should have ensured his continued tenure. Except Mashaba let his fiery temper get the better of him. In a pique of self pity‚ he railed at official...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.