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STRONG CONTENDER: Birds coach Gordon Igesund

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That's if my deep throat in the South African Football Association's technical committee - who it must be said is not always reliable - is to be believed.

The current caretaker coach, Steve Komphela, will be given the job on a permanent basis.

Well he doesn't have the letter of appointment yet, but it's in the post and will be in his in-box shortly.

While everybody and their next of kin saw Igesund as a runaway favourite for the job, the actions that Safa had taken a fortnight before the game against Ethiopia should have opened the eyes of the then blind, claims my informant.

When Komphela was roped in as a second assistant coach to Pitso Mosimane, the writing was on the wall.

Of course nobody was going to admit it at the time with Mosimane and Komphela insisting the move was always on the cards as it had been proposed on numerous occasions before.

"Now the timing is right," Komphela said when he was unveiled as the new kid on the Bafana block.

"Oh yeah!" said most of us who have now mastered the art of second guessing the head honchos at Safa House.

There was always that sinking feeling that with Mosimane at sixes and sevens and going nowhere fast, changes were being rung and Komphela was being positioned to take over sooner rather than later.

South Africans are calling for a local coach, and both men are as Mzansi as masonja (mopani worms). But my deep throat tells me the reasons Komphela is ahead in this race are simple:

• Bafana Bafana need a coach with international experience and of the two, Komphela has this in abundance, having coached all our junior international teams before, while Igesund has zilch;
• Komphela not only played for Bafana Bafana, he also captained the squad with a measure of success and has been roped into the technical staff on a few occasions;
• He had a very successful stint while playing in Turkey where he ended up being a television pundit in a foreign country;
• Komphela also has the advantage of having worked at Safa, which is no place for the fainthearted. He knows the ins and outs of the governing body and would be able to take the heat; and
• Politics is also seen as a major stumbling block for Igesund in that he is white and Safa wants a black coach (I'm not sure if this is true).

Igesund's supporters believe he is the best coach in the country after he won four league titles with different teams, including unfashionable Santos and Manning Rangers.

Last season Igesund performed miracles with Moroka Swallows, who he had saved from relegation the season before and took to within a whisker of winning the league, only to be pipped by Orlando Pirates at the death.

After all is said and done, it will be wise for those at Safa to include performance clauses and targets for the incumbent so that everybody is on the same page from the word go.

One thing, though, that people must remember is that international football is very different from club and league football.

That is what Safa has to bear in mind, according to the unreliable one.

The decline of Bafana Bafana has been blamed on many things, including coaches, the lack of development, players not being hungry enough, no lethal goalscorers, no support from the nation during games, not enough time to prepare the team, the call-ups of overseas bench-warmers and, above all, main men at Safa who have also been asked on numerous occasions to quit.

Yours truly believes most of these miss the real issue about the state of our national team in particular, and Mzansi football in general.

Since that is a debate on its own, Final Whistle will kick it off in a fortnight's time. That, fortunately, will be after the new coach has been named and we can assist.

While still listening to my deep throat the alarm clock rang and I was rudely awoken.

What a dream!

Comments

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Tue May 21 18:42:35 SAST 2013 ::

Jun 21, 2012

www.insurance-direct.co.za

Is Bhutana Kompela not Steve's brother? Looks like the interviews were just a mere formality
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Jun 21, 2012

tpaz

Coach: Coach
Assistant : Steve

If he fails after 5 games fire him and make Steve coach
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Jun 21, 2012

DJWinner

Bafana Bafana will then supports itself. I'm not buying any tickets for next years's AFCON. I wish they fail to qualify for world cup and exit in the first round of the next years's AFCON.
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Jun 21, 2012

nkosit

What experience is Steve Kompela bringing when he dismally failed the nation and himself with the under 23's , I am a black men - but this SAFA thing its turning to be a black thing Nxaaaa!
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Jun 21, 2012

Bizzabo

DJWinner
Bafana Bafana will then supports itself. I'm not buying any tickets for next years's AFCON. I wish they fail to qualify for world cup and exit in the first round of the next years's AFCON
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I like Khompela, but what has he achieved except captaining BB in that famous 96 victoy?

i will only go the the Afcon finals on freebies, i am not using my money
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Jun 21, 2012

WhiteLiver

Even if steve komphela was white we wer going to support en elect him....show dem Black Mamba SHOW DEMMMMMMM
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Jun 21, 2012

Mbeva

Komphela does not throw tantrums outside the cot like Igesund
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Jun 21, 2012

MissBhakajuju

Thanx Safa !!

Congrats to Steve Khompela, bhuti wethu.
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Jun 21, 2012

Bizzabo

Mbeva
Komphela does not throw tantrums outside the cot like Igesund

but gordon remains a good coach, with Khompela we are looking at potential
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Jun 21, 2012

tldmic

This is extremely disappointing. I will only support khompela if, he saved the team from relegation, worked out a team within a season and improve it, study new playing materials quickly and use them than relying on fat koeks like benny, and mr leopard woman bra,mphela. I think this also sends us a message that SAFA sticks by its BEE and nepotism guns.
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