PERHAPS I need to have my black consciousness examined. But if the changing of the current Bafana Bafana coach after the World Cup is purely on the basis that we need a local coach, then our version of patriotism needs to be examined too.

The introduction of a local coach should not be fast-tracked to the detriment of the concept itself.

The South African public has exaggerated amounts of low self-esteem and lack of self-belief.

The speed with which we seek to dump a local coach into a bottomless pit has all the signs of a plot to confirm the racist stereotype that anything that is black carries the seeds of its own destruction.

Granted, we need a local coach.

The question that must be answered with sobriety is the timing of the local coach's introduction.

The disastrous thing to do is to allow half-baked bread to cool, and hope to resume baking expecting a properly baked bread.

After the World Cup I believe Bafana will still be half-baked, albeit with the definite prospect that they will get there under the seasoned and impeccable hand of Carlos Alberto Parreira. An outcomes-oriented decision would be to give the Brazilian four years to consolidate his work and make Bafana a competitive world-class team. At that stage a local coach could then take over.

I believe Parreira is doing a good job and I would not be shocked if we lifted the World Cup trophy.

Nelvis Qekema, Pretoria