UMUNWE uwukhombe kwiSouth African Football Association (Safa) umqeqeshi weBafana Bafana, uStuart Baxter, ephonswa imibuzo ngokungabi nalo kwakhe ithimba labaqeqeshi eliqondile yize ethathe umsebenzi ngokugcwele ku-Ephraim “Shakes” Mashaba ngoMeyi wonyaka odlule.
UBaxter akazange afihle ukuthi lesi simo asimphethe kahle kodwa wakucacisa ukuthi yena okufanele akwenze njengokuphakamisa amagama kade akwenza kepha iSafa iyona engamsizi.
Ngokujwayelekile uBaxter usizwa umqeqesshi wamaqembu amancane esizwe uThabo Senong. Kwayena uSenong ubuye angabonakali kulesi sihlalo. Njengamanje uSenong uyoqhuba izifundo zakhe zokuqeqesha eHolland kodwa bekunguQuinton Fortune osiza uBaxter ngesikhathi iBafana ihlungela ukuya eRussia. Akaze aphinde abonakale futhi akukho ncazelo esike yavela kwiSafa ngoFortune.
Kule khempu eKwaMashu elungiselela umdlalo weLibya ngoMgqibelo ntambama, eMoses Mabhida Stadium, uBaxter usebenza noMolefi Ntseki ongumqeqeshi weqembu lesizwe lika-Under 17.
Kwesinye isikhathi lo mqeqeshi ogxekwe kakhulu ngokuqasha indodana yakhe uke asebenze nabo bobabili uSenong noNtseki.
“Ayilula neze indaba yokungacaci kwethimba lami. Kufanele ngabe sekuyaziwa manje kodwa-ke akukho okungaphezulu engingakwenza uma sengibazisile okufanele bazi. Kuyimanje sibhekene nesimo sika-Andre (Arendse). Konke lokhu kuwumthwalo kimina kodwa sengazitshela ukuthi kuyongisiza ukugxila kulokhu engingakwazi ukukuguqula bese ngishiyela abanye kulokhu engaziyo ukuthi kungaphezu kwamandla ami. Isimo esikusona asisihle impela kodwa iSafa iyazazi izifiso zami,” kusho uBaxter.
Lo mqeqeshi ukuvezile nokho ukuthi uSenong noNtseki bamqoka kuyena ngoba yibona ababazi ukusuka nokuhlala laba badlali abancane abasuke bekhombisa izimpawu zokuthi bayogcina kwiBafana.
“Enye inkinga esinayo ukuthi ayikho indlela ehlelekile yokuqapha bonke abafana abathembisayo ngakho-ke uSenong noNtseki bamqoka kimina ngaleyo ndlela,” kusho uBaxter.
Ngo-Ephreli nonyaka uNeil Tovey ongusomaqhinga weBafana utshele Isolezwe ukuthi umdlalo weLibya uyofika uBaxter eseqede konke ngethimba lakhe eligcwele. Phakathi kwabaqeqeshi asebeke bavela singabala noRulani Mokwena oyiphini likaMilutin Sredojevic kwi-Orlando Pirates. Ike yazama iBafana ukucela uMokwena kodwa yachithwa yiPirates.
Okunye okwenza le ndaba idonse ukuthi uTovey unesifiso sokuthi ithimba likaBaxter kube umqeqeshi ka-Under 23, oka-Under 20 noka-Under 17.