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Tsichlas promises to add value

Cape Town - The South African Football Association's (SAFA) new technical committee chairperson, Natasha Tsichlas, said the committee is determined to add more value and to improve the image of the country’s Football Association.
 
The former Mamelodi Sundowns boss was speaking following the committee's request to national team head coaches from Under-17 level to the senior level to submit their reports accounting for their strengths and weaknesses. 

"We are not here to criticise, but here to add value," Tsichlas told the Sowetan LIVE website.

“The association appointed these coaches and we should not turn around and blame them.”

“This committee has been brought in to try and help change the image of SAFA. We can't work against these coaches, unless something drastic happens."

Bafana Bafana coach Gordon Igesund has already failed to reach the two mandates he was handed with when he took over from Pitso Mosimane last year.

The 57-year-old tactician’s mandates were to reach the semi-finals of the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations on home soil, as well as guiding the team to the 2014 Soccer World Cup in Brazil.

SAFA is likely to extend Igesund’s contract when it expires next July with a further four years - with mandates of qualifying for the 2015 AFCON to be staged in Morocco as well as the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

The Sowetan LIVE website also reported that the junior national team coaches have also come under fire for their disastrous qualification campaigns for major tournaments such as last year's London Olympics.

Solly Luvhengo, the Amajita (Under-20) coach, and Under-23 mentor Ephraim "Shakes" Mashaba will also be at the mercy of the technical committee, while Under-17 trainer Simon Ngomane was given the boot following his team's failure to qualify for the youth World Cup in the United Arab Emirates, which starts on Thursday.
 
It remains to be seen if Tsichlas‘s strategies will take the South African football to greater heights or not.
 
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