THE king is dead! Long live the king!
This traditional proclamation has always been associated with monarchies, especially in the United Kingdom.
I have always thought it’s a bit insensitive to the late king, because the new leader gets exalted before his predecessor’s body has gone rigor mortis or the widow has decided on a plan of how to sweep the new king off his feet.
However, this sort of attitude could just be what the South African Football Association need to have after Pitso Mosimane’s reign as Bafana Bafana coach came to an abrupt end on Monday night.
They have to move swiftly to appoint a new coach, especially as he will need lots of time. The national football team is in a royal mess, so the time has come to rebuild yet again.
As things stand, it’s going to take a minor miracle for Bafana to qualify for the next Fifa World Cup, in 2014 in Brazil. The performance in the 1-1 draw against lowly Ethiopia last weekend epitomised the fact that we might have a misconception of how good our national team really is.
Thankfully, the indications are that Safa are going to move swiftly to appoint a new coach, and for once, it seems that they are going to go the logical route when selecting the new man.
Surely there can be no better candidates for the job than Gordon Igesund and Gavin Hunt. Might I also add: nobody would deserve it more than these two gentlemen.
Igesund and Hunt are the most successful coaches in the country and they know the local game inside out. More importantly, they have first-hand experience of the rather brittle psyche of your typical South African footballer.
Both men also have the ability to get the best out of players.
At Moroka Swallows, Igesund took a bunch of rejects and under-achievers and moulded them into a dangerous unit that almost won the Premiership this past season after having had to fight off relegation the season before.
Hunt, on the other hand, has been able to keep SuperSport United competitive despite losing his best players every season. He was also the first coach to win three titles back-to-back in the PSL era.
But Safa do have a reputation of coming up with daft selections, such as our dear friend Joel Santana, who could only speak English after victories, of which there weren’t many.
For once, Safa can do the right thing and appoint either of the two PSL kings, Igesund and Hunt. They are South African football royalty and will command respect.
The king is dead! Long live the king!
TWEETS OF THE WEEK
@hazardeden10(Belgium attacker Eden Hazard finally lets the cat out of the bag) : I’m delighted to join Chelsea FC.
@Trevornoah(The South African comedian trying to put Pitso Mosimane’s salary in perspective) : Pitso was getting R800 000 a month to coach Bafana Bafana? Only Leonardo Da Vinci was paid more to draw!
@therealstevenpi(Bafana Bafana captain hopes his team will settle after the Mosimane’s sacking) : New day. The storm is ova now.
WHO TO FOLLOW
@bennimccarthy17: South Africa’s all-time leading goal scorer is tweeting a little more these days. So something juicy is bound to appear on your timeline when you follow him.
* Follow John Goliath on Twitter: @Anchorman82
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