Constrained Stuart Baxter walks a lonely path
Limited Safa budget and soccer politics mean he is unable to appoint an assistant coach
Stuart Baxter says the issue of the appointment of his permanent second Bafana Bafana assistant coach has not been resolved due to budget and political constraints. The Bafana coach said one issue was that the SA Football Association (Safa) was constrained by budget limitations. And political constraints meant Safa cannot simply poach someone from a Premier Soccer League club. Baxter did "trial" former Bafana and Manchester United midfielder Quinton Fortune on a temporary basis in 2017, but that move backfired over a public backlash to someone who as a player often turned his back on the national team. For the most part‚ since his appointment 15 months ago‚ Baxter has continued with just one assistant‚ Thabo Senong. When Senong was unavailable, SA Under-17 coach Molefi Ntseki filled in. Baxter was asked‚ as he announced his squad this week for the September 8 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualifier against Libya in Durban‚ about not having his preferred sounding boards as assistants...
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