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Cape Town - In a move that caused shockwaves in the local football fraternity, the South African Football Association (SAFA) announced that Bafana Bafana coach Shakes Mashaba would not travel with the team to Mozambique as he had been suspended for what has been called a "regrettable incident".
Assistant coach Owen da Gama, himself recently serving a touchline ban, will take charge of the team to face Mozambique in an international friendly on Tuesday.
Video footage has emerged which is believed to be the reason for the 66-year-old Mashaba's suspension.
Following his side's 2-1 win over Senegal, a highly emotional Mashaba went on a tirade just before his post-match interview, before being calmed down by an interviewer and official.
Shakes tirade on Saturday that has got him suspended as national team coach pic.twitter.com/H4I2ESNRkL #BafanaBafana ????
— DiskiStyle (@DiskiStyle) November 14, 2016
According to a TimesLive report, Mashaba accused SAFA president Danny Jordaan of not giving him enough support over the last few months.
The SABC presenter, Kwena Moabelo , who interviewed Mashaba believes it is what he said before the snippet that got him suspended.
.Me thinks what he said before this is actually what got him suspended ... #shakesGate https://t.co/yAttQ6sjK6
— Kwena Moabelo (@kwenaldinho) November 14, 2016
Jordaan and SAFA CEO Dennis Mumble were left astonished and embarrassed by the public show of disrespect and promptly suspended Mashaba.
Mumble sent a statement to the SAFA national executive committee members, saying that he had to initiate disciplinary steps against Mashaba after the "unpleasant event" that took place after the game.
"Following some unpleasant events after the match of the men’s senior national team (Bafana Bafana) at Peter Mokaba Stadium yesterday‚ I had to meet with head coach‚ Ephraim Mashaba today (Sunday) to commence disciplinary steps against him‚” Mumble said in the statement.
"As a result of yesterday’s events‚ I was forced to place the head coach on suspension with immediate effect pending a full disciplinary hearing."
Sport24 reported that the relationship between Mashaba and Jordaan had been showing signs of deteriorating after Jordaan openly criticised Bafana's performance after a draw against Mauritania in a lacklustre 2017 AFCON qualifier, saying that the team's poor performance and erratic form could not be carried over into the World Cup Qualifying campaign.
Jordaan had also recently ordered Mashaba to pay a personal visit to all overseas-based players, after growing frustrated at Mashaba's continuous war of words with certain players.
A recent poll taken of Sport24 readers showed that a vast majority were in favour of Mashaba being relieved of his duties.
Should Shakes Mashaba be relieved of his duties as Bafana Bafana coach?#BafanaBafana
— Sport24News (@Sport24news) November 9, 2016
