SOUTH AFRICA SUSPEND COACH
South Africa have suspended their coach Ephraim Mashaba just weeks
before the start of the African Nations Cup in the latest twist
in a long-standing saga over his team selection, officials said
on Wednesday.
Mashaba was a given a seven day suspension after a meeting with
the South African Football Association on Wednesday where he came
in for heavy criticism over his relationship with key players
who have been left out of the team for the tournament in Tunisia.
He is being replaced for the weekend' Cosafa Castle Cup match
in Mauritius by his assistant Styles Phumo and could lose his
job before the tournament tin Tunis unless he recalls the likes
of Manchester United's Quinton Fortune and others who have fallen
out with the coach in recent months, officials said.
Mashaba was taken to task over his failure to accommodate requests
by FC Porto striker Benni McCarthy and the Charlton Athletic defender
Mark Fish that they be allowed to stay with their respective European
clubs until just before the kick off the finals on January 24.
Both players had asked to be allowed to skip most of the 14 day
training camp ahead of the finals in order to stay at their clubs.
But Mashaba refused insisting that both players report on January
10, the start of the two week period before the tournament allowed
by FIFA.
Fish withdrew from the squad and McCarthy announced his retirement
from international football, provoking heavy criticism of Mashaba
by his employers in recent weeks.
Mashaba also did not select Fortune after the two fell out in
April when Fortune withdrew from a friendly match against Jamaica.
The coach met with officials on Tuesday and Wednesday to discuss
the impasse, after which the suspension was announced.
It is not the first time that Mashaba has been sideline over his
team selection. In May, he was sidelined for the match against
England after officials were unhappy with jhis team selection,
which again ignored the majority of the country's foreign-based
players.
Mashaba took a strong stand against players like Leeds United's
Lucas Radebe and Fortune, who had pulled out of earlier international
commitments.