Kirsten Nematandani (File)

Johannesburg - The next Bafana Bafana coach would be a true-blue South African - and the appointment of a third assistant coach to Carlos Alberto Parreira for the World Cup, remained in the pipeline.

Urbane South African Football Association president Kirsten Nematandani, revealed on Tuesday that "both these decisions are cast in stone - and there is no going back on what forms an integral part of our vision for the future."

Nematandani said the desirability of having a South African coach at the helm of Bafana had long been accepted - but gnawing doubts had existed about whether there was a local candidate with the international experience and know-how for the enormous undertaking.

"We now feel the time is ripe to take on this challenge," said the SAFA president, "and when Parreira's contract expires after the World Cup, the next Bafana coaching appointment will be a South African."

Nematandani said linked to this was the decision to appoint a third assistant coach for the World Cup - "who will also be a South African.

"Pitso Mosimane, who is currently one of Parreira's assistants," added the SAFA president, "is an obvious candidate to take over from the Brazilian.

"But we intend casting our net far and wide and the new assistant coach will also come under consideration."

Nematandani said the delay in appointing Bafana's third assistant coach was prinipally due to a desire to include in the process all the coaches in the PSL - "and we don't want to disrupt any of the clubs before the completion of the Premier League.

"So you can expect the third Bafana assistant coach to be named early in March," added the SAFA president.

"But the final choice of a Bafana coach," said Nematandani, "will not be limited to the two South African assistant coaches,

"The issue will be reviewed after the World Cup, with the status and stature of coaches sometimes changing by the day - and when we make our decision we want to be sure it is the right choice."

In the meantime, incumbetent coach Parreira is due to name on Wednesday a preliminary squad of approximately 30 locally-based players to participate in a World Cup training camp in Durban only hours after his return from an extended holiday in Brazil - a delayed situation that will presumably not arise when Bafana have a South African at the helm.