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Cape Town - Newly appointed South African national soccer team coach Ephraim "Shakes" Mashaba was appointed by SAFA with specific goals in mind.
According to SAFA president Danny Jordaan, the National Executive Committee (NEC) decision to appoint Shakes was a unanimous one, this despite the intense speculation that SAFA had offered the job to Carlos Queirozwith the two parties needing only to settle wage negotiations.
It is clear now that Queiroz's wage demands priced him out of a deal to take over from Gordon Igesund, in arguably the hardest soccer job on the continent.
As reported earlier, Jordaan said the major focus for Mashaba is to rebuild the team to participate in the 2015 and 2017 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournaments as well as the 2018 Soccer World Cup in Russia.
Jordaan also hinted that the long-term vision includes securing a place at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Mashaba's mandate is arguably much easier than the previous coach Gordon Igesund's mandate which was to reach the 2013 AFCON semi-finals and qualify for the 2014 Soccer World Cup finals in Brazil.
Igesund failed to achieve either of the goals set for him after Bafana Bafana lost to Mali in the quarter-finals of the 2013 AFCON semi-final and the team also failed in their quest to qualify for the recently completed 2014 Soccer World Cup.
It is interesting to note that Mashaba has been given much wider scope for his tenure as Bafana Bafana coach with the executives at SAFA placing the long term future of the national side in his hands.
The mystery remains as to why Mashaba does not have to achieve, at least in theory, similar goals as those set by SAFA for Gordon Igesund.
According to SAFA president Danny Jordaan, the National Executive Committee (NEC) decision to appoint Shakes was a unanimous one, this despite the intense speculation that SAFA had offered the job to Carlos Queirozwith the two parties needing only to settle wage negotiations.
It is clear now that Queiroz's wage demands priced him out of a deal to take over from Gordon Igesund, in arguably the hardest soccer job on the continent.
As reported earlier, Jordaan said the major focus for Mashaba is to rebuild the team to participate in the 2015 and 2017 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournaments as well as the 2018 Soccer World Cup in Russia.
Jordaan also hinted that the long-term vision includes securing a place at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Mashaba's mandate is arguably much easier than the previous coach Gordon Igesund's mandate which was to reach the 2013 AFCON semi-finals and qualify for the 2014 Soccer World Cup finals in Brazil.
Igesund failed to achieve either of the goals set for him after Bafana Bafana lost to Mali in the quarter-finals of the 2013 AFCON semi-final and the team also failed in their quest to qualify for the recently completed 2014 Soccer World Cup.
It is interesting to note that Mashaba has been given much wider scope for his tenure as Bafana Bafana coach with the executives at SAFA placing the long term future of the national side in his hands.
The mystery remains as to why Mashaba does not have to achieve, at least in theory, similar goals as those set by SAFA for Gordon Igesund.
