Da Gama, Senong could lose out as new man comes in

Stuart Baxter will keep Owen da Gama and Thabo Senong as assistants for Bafana Bafana's upcoming 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Nigeria, but he's likely to make changes in the long run.

Stuart Baxter will keep Owen da Gama and Thabo Senong as assistants for Bafana Bafana's upcoming 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Nigeria, but he's likely to make changes in the long run.

Baxter yesterday addressed the media for the first time since his re-appointment by Safa a fortnight ago and said he will only make recommendations for his technical team once he has started his job.

Da Gama and Senong double up as coaches of the national under-23s and under-20s respectively. Da Gama is unlikely to carry on in either position going forward, while Senong could be retained as a second assistant to Baxter.

"There won't be many changes at the moment because the recommendations I will make need to be after I have seen the set up. I know a lot of the people who are currently in the set up and I know I can work with them in the short term. I will make recommendations and then it's up to the association to make the bigger decisions. I could bring in people whose opinions I respect," said Baxter.

Safa chief executive Dennis Mumble said whoever Baxter picks as his assistants in future, should he decide against working with Da Gama and Senong, will also coach the junior teams, making uncertain the future of the two coaches.