Johannesburg – The South African Football Association (Safa) has announced the appointment of Neil Tovey as its technical director.
The 52-year-old Africa Cup of Nations-winning captain, who has been working as a TV pundit and part-time coach, is expected to develop young talent and create a uniform playing style for national teams.
National football association official Natasha Tsichlas said: “Neil understands the South African football culture and has a successful track record.”
Tovey skippered Bafana Bafana to a 2-0 triumph over Tunisia in the 1996 Cup of Nations final in Soweto, watched by a capacity 80 000 crowd.
His 52-cap international career ended a year later after a poor performance in a World Cup qualifying defeat away to Congo in Brazzaville.
Pretoria-born Tovey spent 10 years playing for Kaizer Chiefs, and the highlight of his coaching career was guiding Mamelodi Sundowns to the Premiership title.
Tovey, together with Stuart Baxter and Carlos Queiroz, had been linked with the vacant position at Safa since the beginning of the year.
He is one of the most experienced coaches in the country, having coached Mamelodi Sundowns, AmaZulu and Mpumalanga Black Aces in the last 16 years.
The role has been vacant for a few years, however Fran-Hilton Smith has most recently filled the role on an interim basis.