SA Football Association (Safa) spokesman Dominic Chimhavi has described the actions of former Bafana Bafana coach Shakes Mashaba after the win over Senegal in Polokwane last year as unprofessional, unacceptable and overstepping the mark.
During cross-examination by the Safa lawyer Mark Thompson at Mashaba's arbitration hearing yesterday, Chimhavi said the behaviour of Mashaba caused serious damage to Safa.
Recounting the events of that day, where Mashaba berated the media after the November 12 World Cup qualifier against Senegal, Chimhavi said Mashaba was very aggressive, in a fit of rage and overstepped the boundaries of their communications policy.
"He was aggressive, he was uncontrollable and his actions were unacceptable and overstepped the mark because the visuals were beamed across the world because of the magnitude of the match," said Chimhavi.
"He was unprofessional and his actions put the name of the association into disrepute and [caused] serious reputational damage. I received calls from CNN , BBC and other major news agencies on the continent and I did not know what to tell them.
"We had just pulled off a fantastic win over a tough team like Senegal but instead of basking in the glory he went on an unnecessary tirade against the media and the leadership of Safa."
He said every employee of Safa was bound by the company's communications policy, which they treat as a bible, and there have been people in the past who were fired for failing to abide by it.
In his cross-examination of Chimhavi, Mashaba's lawyer Claudio Bollo said Safa does not respect its communications policy and was merely using it to get rid of his client.
Chimhavi added that Mashaba's relationship with the media had reached a point where it could not be retrieved.
"There is no doubt that there was no love lost between Mashaba and the media and there is no doubt that the relationship was getting worse and worse. In fact, it was in the gutters. I saw with the articles that appeared in major newspapers following the incident in Polokwane after the Senegal match last year November that his relationship with the media could not be retrieved."
How Shakes lost his cool
SA Football Association (Safa) spokesman Dominic Chimhavi has described the actions of former Bafana Bafana coach Shakes Mashaba after the win over Senegal in Polokwane last year as unprofessional, unacceptable and overstepping the mark.
During cross-examination by the Safa lawyer Mark Thompson at Mashaba's arbitration hearing yesterday, Chimhavi said the behaviour of Mashaba caused serious damage to Safa.
Recounting the events of that day, where Mashaba berated the media after the November 12 World Cup qualifier against Senegal, Chimhavi said Mashaba was very aggressive, in a fit of rage and overstepped the boundaries of their communications policy.
"He was aggressive, he was uncontrollable and his actions were unacceptable and overstepped the mark because the visuals were beamed across the world because of the magnitude of the match," said Chimhavi.
"He was unprofessional and his actions put the name of the association into disrepute and [caused] serious reputational damage. I received calls from CNN , BBC and other major news agencies on the continent and I did not know what to tell them.
"We had just pulled off a fantastic win over a tough team like Senegal but instead of basking in the glory he went on an unnecessary tirade against the media and the leadership of Safa."
He said every employee of Safa was bound by the company's communications policy, which they treat as a bible, and there have been people in the past who were fired for failing to abide by it.
In his cross-examination of Chimhavi, Mashaba's lawyer Claudio Bollo said Safa does not respect its communications policy and was merely using it to get rid of his client.
Chimhavi added that Mashaba's relationship with the media had reached a point where it could not be retrieved.
"There is no doubt that there was no love lost between Mashaba and the media and there is no doubt that the relationship was getting worse and worse. In fact, it was in the gutters. I saw with the articles that appeared in major newspapers following the incident in Polokwane after the Senegal match last year November that his relationship with the media could not be retrieved."
Would you like to comment on this article?
Register (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Trending
Latest Videos