Safa slams 'irresponsible' technical team
The SA Football Association (Safa) has severely reprimanded some members of the technical committee, which was tasked with the interviewing process for the vacant Bafana Bafana job, after they publicly expressed their views on the matter.
The unidentified member of the committee had reportedly told a weekend newspaper that he did not understand why the two final shortlisted candidates – Steven Komphela and Gordon Igesund – had to make another presentation to Safa’s national executive committee (NEC) this coming Saturday, as recommendations had already been made.
Safa issued a strong condemnation of that with a statement on Tuesday saying, “For the record, it is standard procedure within Safa that the Association gets recommendations from the respective committees on any decision, big or small.”
The association went further by saying the technical committee did not have the right or power to appoint a national coach. The recommendation of the appointment of the coach falls within the domain of the Technical and Development Committee in line with Article 45.11 of the Safa Constitution, Safa said.
“However, the responsibility of committees is purely to recommend, and any decision taken will have to be approved or rejected by the Association’s highest decision making body, the National Executive Committee (NEC),” said Safa.
The association’s president Kirsten Nematandani made his feelings known about the matter.
“So it is irresponsible, disingenuous and disappointing for any member of the Technical and Development Committee to go out and express his/her views on the matter before this Saturday’s (30 June 2012) NEC meeting. This is literally jumping the gun,” said Nematandani.
The Safa president added that for a big decision such as that of the appointment of the national football team head coach, all issues had to be “discussed, dissected and scrutinised by the NEC before an appointment is made.”
“So it is very wrong to conclude that because the Technical and Development Committee has said one, two or three, we should rubber-stamp that decision. That is not how such a people-oriented organisation like Safa works. This is a national issue, which has to be handled very carefully.
“We want, if we take a decision, to have been above board and that verdict must be accepted by the entire NEC members,” added Nematandani.
Safa will hold an NEC meeting on Saturday (30 June) where the new Bafana Bafana coach is expected to be announced.
