OPINION: Baxter should have shut up, now Bafana need to show up
Stuart Baxter in one sense, is correct about Bafana Bafana and the undue criticism they have received following the 1-0 loss to the Ivory Coast on Monday afternoon.
Bongani Zungu (France, Amiens) and Tiyani Mabunda (Mamelodi Sundowns) during the South African national men’s soccer team training session at Steyn City School on June 05, 2019 in Johannesburg, South Africa. (Photo by Lefty Shivambu/Gallo Images)
Yet the way he has chosen to express this opinion is self-defeating, and only fuels the fire for those who are attacking the South African head coach and his team.
Baxter went on an emotional rant on Thursday at the pre-match press conference, ahead of Friday’s massive Group D match against Namibia, which Bafana realistically have to win to have hope of making the last 16.
He accused South African fans of losing their grip of reality, adding: “People will grasp onto disappointment and there is over-inflated confidence. I think we need a touch of reality, we were playing a top
class team (in the Ivory Coast) … it annoys me sometimes when we hear there are 56 million people behind us, when in reality there are 56 million people waiting to chop our heads off.”
Aside from being decidedly paranoid (all 56 million, really Stuart?), this smacked of a man increasingly frustrated in his job, and one who may well step down after the Africa Cup of Nations, whatever Bafana
achieve.
It is fair to say that Bafana are not as good as people think they are, that the Elephants are a better side with better players, and as such a 1-0 defeat is not really the worst start to a tournament. The
manner of Bafana’s defeat, following a lacklustre attacking display, is worrying, but that does not mean the Minister of Sport and Recreation Nathi Mthethwa and the South African Football Association
President Danny Jordaan had the right to criticise the team the way they did in the wake of the Ivory Coast match.
It is totally inappropriate for people in these lofty positions to speak as they did in the middle of a tournament, and there is clearly a division between Safa and Baxter. Listening to Jordaan, I would say
he no longer wants Baxter in the job, while Baxter is clearly peeved with the association over the fact that his side were only able to play one friendly ahead of the Afcon.
Yet Baxter would have been far better expressing this at the pre-match press conference, than attacking the entire population of South Africa. His tetchy attitude with the media yesterday was also
completely unnecessary.
Maybe Baxter is trying to create a siege mentality in his squad, and perhaps it will fire the team up, and they will come out and hammer Namibia at the Al Salam Stadium on Friday night. Bafana certainly need
a performance to shake off the cobwebs and show that they are worth a place in the knockout rounds.
They should beat Namibia, but the Desert Warriors showed against Morocco that they are a difficult side to break down, and Ricardo Mannetti’s exuberance ahead of this game has been a stark contrast to Baxter’s moodiness.
Namibia have literally nothing to lose, while Bafana are a side under pressure. If Bafana do win, meanwhile, one hopes Baxter cheers up a bit and stops with the incessant moaning. It is time for Bafana to
show up, and for the Bafana head coach, frankly, to shut up.
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