Notoane resigns as Under-23 coach after failing to qualify for Afcon

David Notoane has ended his tenure as the South Africa Under-23 national team coach following his failure to qualify for the Under-23 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon), which subsequently means the team won’t be at next year’s Olympic Games in France.

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Notoane’s resignation comes after the junior Bafana Bafana played to a goalless draw with Congo-Brazzaville in the second leg of the qualifiers, which ended their hopes of playing in the Olympics.

“To those football lovers who were behind me, thank you very much, sorry, I have disappointed,” said Notoane on Marawa Sports Worldwide on Wednesday.

“Thanks to the PSL (Prenier Soccer League) clubs, the coaches who were there for me during the difficult time, much appreciated. Before the good fight to qualify with some young emerging talent, Katlego Chauke, Mduduzi Shabalala and Jayden Adams to mention a few. My technical report will be submitted in due course. This marks the end of my appointment which was until further notice for this campaign (Caf qualifiers) without any contractual obligations.”

The SA Under-23s, who participated in three consecutive Afcons from 2011, 2015 and 2019, will be sitting at home for the first time having done quite well in the last two editions of the tournament.

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Notoane managed to secure third place finishes in Ghana and Egypt, securing spots at the Olympics in London 2012 and Rio de Janeiro in 2016. But, at the world games, the team got poor results, as they were booted out of the tournament group stages on both occasions. 

Safa is yet to comment on Notoane’s departure and it remains to be seen who the association will appoint as the new SA Under-23 coach.