CAPE TOWN – Bafana Bafana coach Stuart Baxter has called up his son Lee to serve as a stand-in goalkeeper coach for Saturday’s African Cup of Nations qualifier against Libya in Durban.
Lee Baxter is currently the goalkeeper coach at Kaizer Chiefs, having joined the Amakhosi in February this year.
So his familiarity with Bafana No 1 Itumeleng Khune should ensure continuity for Saturday’s game.
The 42-year-old Swede was a goalkeeper himself, having played for a number of clubs in his home country, as well as Rangers in Scotland and Sheffield United in England.
Lee Baxter comes in for Andre Arendse, who is unavailable due to family commitments, which was announced last week already.
New interim national goalkeeper coach Lee Baxter. Photo: Sydney Mahlangu/ BackpagePix
“It really is a sad loss to not to have the services of Andre, whom I have worked with for a long time. It is even more difficult not to have him at such a crucial time when we are resuming our AFCON qualifying campaign, but I have to understand his situation,” Stuart Baxter said last Thursday.
Before joining Chiefs, Lee Baxter worked as a goalkeeper coach at AIK in Sweden, Genclerbirligi in Turkey, SuperSport United in SA and Aarhus in Denmark.
Saturday’s game is Bafana’s second on the road to the 2019 Afcon, having beaten Nigeria 2-0 in their opener in Uyo in June 2017.
The squad for this weekend’s game at Moses Mabhida Stadium gathered in Johannesburg, and travelled to Durban on Monday morning.
@BafanaBafana head coach Stuart Baxter has called up goalkeeper coach of Kaizer Chiefs Lee Baxter to replace Andre Arendse who has been withdrawn from the squad due to family commitments. Bafana Bafana face Libya in an AFCON qualifier on Sat 8 Sep 3pm @SAFA_net pic.twitter.com/d5AAEIDqLw
— Bafana Bafana (@BafanaBafana) September 3, 2018