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Safa: Worst kept secret is out
23/04/2008 22:15 - (SA)
Johannesburg - The worst kept secret in South African soccer is out.
On Wednesday the South African Football Association confirmed what most people knew that Brazilian Joel Santana has been officially appointed as the new Bafana Bafana head coach.
He replaces countryman Carlos Alberto Parreira who resigned on Monday citing his wife's illness due to cancer as his reason for cancelling his contract with Safa that was due to run until after the 2010 World Cup finals.
Since Parreira's resignation, it was learnt via Santana's Brazilian club Flamengo that he was heading for South Africa.
The appointment was confirmed on Wednesday afternoon by Safa chief executive officer Raymond Hack that the 59-year-old Santana has accepted the position and was hand picked by Parreira.
Said Hack: "There are still legalities to sort out such as his work permit and actually signing the contract but he is our man and has agreed to coach Bafana. We are hoping he will start work around ninth of May."
Senior Safa officials will be heading to Rio de Janeiro on Sunday to meet Santana and formally get him to sign the contract which lasts until after the 2010 World Cup finals which will be hosted by South Africa.
According to reports he will be earning about $200 000 per month - about $50 000 less than Parreira.
Top coach
Hack said the fact Santana does not have any experience coaching a national team would not be a major stumbling block.
Explained the Safa CEO: "He is a top coach having won the Brazilian championship four times. He also coaches the biggest club in the world at present and has coached some of the biggest stars in the game. We strongly believe we have found the right man to replace Parreira."
Hack also said there would be a smooth transition of power between Parreira and Santana taking over.
"We have listened to and accepted Parreira's advice. He rates Santana very highly and has the same philosophy and vision as Parreira. The fact that he will work alongside Parreira's technical team - assistant coaches (Jairo Leal and South African born Pitso Mosimane) is a big plus and means that the team will continue the good work and foundation that Carlos laid for building a competitive squad for the 2010 World Cup."
Parreira has agreed to help Safa as a technical consultant.
Santana has coached in Saudi Arabia, Japan and the United Arab Emirates.
Like Parreira he is known as a conservative coach.
Santana will be thrown into the deep end when he prepares the squad for four difficult back-to back African Nations Cup qualifiers against Nigeria, Sierra Leone and Equatorial Guinea in June.
Bafana play the Super Eagles of Nigeria in the central Nigerian city of Abuja in the opening 2010 Afcon qualifier on May 30 after which they play Sierra Leone in Gambia due to the fact there are no suitable stadiums to host an important Afcon qualifier and then have two home and away clashes against Equatorial Guinea before the end of June.
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