GORDON Igesund will decide on his Bafana Bafana captain before September 7.

The coach said on Tuesday that the decision would be made before the team takes on Brazil in Sao Paulo that night.

Will the new coach retain the old captain, Steven Pienaar?

Igesund sparked the debate over the Bafana captaincy last week at a breakfast talk when he said there were a number of competent players who could fill the role, pointing to Morgan Gould, who was in the audience, as one of them.

But on Tuesday the Bafana coach diplomatically came out with the assertion that "at this moment, Steven Pienaar is the Bafana captain".

"What I want to do before stating categorically who will lead the team on the pitch before the next game against Brazil is to have a long chat with Steven," said Igesund.

He said he and the current captain would discuss views on the captaincy and how Pienaar felt about filling the position.

"You know some players revel in the role while others are happier concentrating on their individual performance as far as helping the team is concerned," said Igesund.

The issue of Pienaar's captaincy had cropped up even before Igesund's appointment, with Bafana producing a succession of uninspiring performances under his leadership and the player himself not performing at his best.

And for a player who is credited as an attacker forager, Pienaar's record of a paltry three goals in 62 international appearances for Bafana could persuade Igesund that Pienaar is better off without the burden of the captaincy in order to rekindle the form he has demonstrated in the English Premier League for Everton.

Possibly clouding the issue further is that Pienaar appeared in the local Magistrate's Court last week on a charge of assault, with the case postponed until September 6 - a day before the game against Brazil.

The SA Football Association is likely to ask for a further postponement on the grounds that it is in the country's interests.

Meanwhile, Igesund said that Pienaar was one of the players he would meet during a trip overseas he is planning in the next few weeks.

"I'm going to wherever my objectives take me," said the Bafana coach. He will visit the UK, other parts of Europe, the Middle East and Asia.

"I'll be hoping to hold discussions with every overseas-based player who is on my list as a potential South African representative, their club managers and their agents.

"In this way I will have a clearer picture of the talent at my disposal and know how to blend the overseas-based players with the local products in the PSL."