BAFANA SEEK TO GET OVER CONTROVERSY
South Africa say they are confident they can put aside the controversial
sidelining of coach Ephraim Mashaba this week and continue their
African Nations Cup preparations, which start in earnest with
a match in Mauritius on Saturday.
Acting coach Styles Phumo and captain John Moshoeu on Friday both
said the departure of Mashaba, suspended for seven days in what
is emerging as a prelude to his dismissal, had had little effect
on the squad.
"I have been with the team all the time as assistant coach so
there is a continuity there for the players," said Phumo ahead
of the Cosafa Castle Cup first round match against Mauritius in
Curepipe. "I've told the players to forget all the headlines and
the speculation and concentrate on the preparations," added.
Moshoeu, the 38-year-old midfield who will equal the record for
the most international appearances by a South African on Saturday,
said he and his teammates were more focused on winning places
in the starting line-up for the country's first match at the Nations
Cup finals against Benin on January 27. "We are all playing for
places in the team and this is our chance to show that we deserve
to be in the side. We have not been bothered by change of coach
at all," he said.
Mashaba was suspended on Wednesday by the South African Football
Association, who accused him of being in breach of his contract.
Mashaba's terse relationship with key overseas-based players plus
his failure to keep tabs on the performance of South African players
in Europe were cited as the reasons for his suspension.
Officials traveling with the South African side, who did not want
to be named, said the suspension was a precursor to Mashaba's
dismissal next week. "He has alienated our top players and thereby
weekend the team," said one official, who was party to the decision
earlier this week.
South Africa are set to go to the Nations Cup finals without five
key players who have made themselves unavailable, including Manchester
United's Quinton Fortune and the FC Porto striker Benni McCarthy.
South Africa arrived in Mauritius in Thursday with just 15 of
the players set to go to Tunisia. Goalkeeper Wayne Roberts, who
belatedly discovered his passport had expired before departure,
was due to arrive on the eve of the game. The rest of the Nations
Cup squad is expected to assemble in Johannesburg on Monday.