JOHANNESBURG - Veteran coach Clive Barker is set to play a role in the selection of the new Bafana Bafana coach.
Whether it’s Frenchman Hervé Renard, Muhsin Ertugral, ex-England coach Roy Hodgson or any of the other coaches whose names have been linked to the vacant national team job, Barker looks forward to being involved in scrutinising the CVs Safa have already received.
On Thursday morning the football mother body is set to announce a committee that will guide them on selecting the new man to replace dismissed coach Ephraim Mashaba. Following a Safa national executive committee meeting last weekend, president Danny Jordaan said they expect to fill the vacancy before Bafana Bafana face Guinea Bissau and Angola in friendlies next month.
“I had a talk with Danny and look forward to helping in the selection of the coach,” said Barker, the 1996 Africa Cup of Nations winning coach.
The 72-year-old has been long in the game, and last season briefly held the reigns at Maritzburg United. Until this week he was coach of Durban FC in the amateur ABC Motsepe League.
Barker said he previously sat on Safa technical committees to help with the selection process, and looked forward to once again providing his insight.
Whether it’s a local or foreign tactician, Barker believes there are advantages for both cases. “In either scenario it’s sensible to look at a coach’s track record, and his philosophy. Sometimes you need a workaholic, sometimes a
motivator, and sometimes a mix of both,” he said.
“If it’s local then I would love to see Gavin Hunt being given an opportunity. There’s also Pitso (Mosimane) who has improved a lot as a coach,” said Barker of the Mamelodi Sundowns boss who previously coached the national team.
“If it’s foreign then there are some people I spoke to about (Carlos) Queiroz who say he’s very talented. He already knows the pitfalls of working here, and they say a foreign coach comes with a breath of fresh air,” Barker added.
Mashaba, suspended in November for misconduct and insubordination, and dismissed in December, is involved in a CCMA hearing to fight for his reinstatement. He was the third local coach in a row that Safa placed their faith in, and the feeling now is that Jordaan and Co prefer a big-name outsider.