Is it Benni McCarthy next for Bafana Bafana?
The South African Football Association will meet on Saturday to discuss Stuart Baxter's replacement as Bafana Bafana head coach, following his resignation from the post on Friday morning.
Benni McCarthy (Photo by Carl Fourie/Gallo Images)
Benni McCarthy, still Bafana’s leading all-time goalscorer, and currently head coach of Cape Town City, is one of the favourites for the job, as is Gavin Hunt, the Bidvest Wits head coach, though he has said recently he is “too young” to take over.
“We have friendlies in September and October and Afcon (2021) qualifiers in November,” said Safa CEO Russell Paul on Friday.
“Our technical committee will meet tomorrow morning, we will take direction from them and either issue a statement tomorrow or sometime next week.”
Cape Town City CEO John Comitis has also said he will not stand in McCarthy’s way, if he is offered the chance to take charge of Bafana.
“I have never stood in anyone’s way and I will definitely not stand in Benni’s way‚” Comitis told Timeslive on Thursday. “As long as you want to be with me‚ we will work together. If it comes‚ it comes and we will deal with it because we are professionals.
“For me‚ he possibly needs a little more time before he goes to the national team because nobody wants to see another failure. But‚ at the same time if it happens it will be good for his CV because I think the next step for him is Europe.
“I will be happy for him if it happens and he genuinely wants it but‚ like I said‚ I think he still needs one or two more years at club level. The one thing is that I can never stand in his way if there are good and lucrative opportunities for him.”
Hunt is the last of the mega-successful Premier Soccer League coaches not to have taken the Bafana job, with Ted Dumitru, Gordon Igesund, Pitso Mosimane and, of course Baxter, all having taken the helm of the senior national team.
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