30th June, 2012
Igesund Named Bafana Bafana Coach
Gordon Igesund has been appointed as the new Bafana Bafana coach for the next two years.
The announcement was made today at SAFA House following a meeting of the National Executive Committee, NEC.
Before his appointment, Igesund and another South African Coach, Steve Komphela presented their credentials and made presentations to the NEC. But Igesund grabbed the job with a mandate to reach at least the semifinal of the 2013 African Cup of Nations, which South Africa will host, as well as qualifying the country for the 2014 FIFA World Cup tournament in Brazil.
“The two coaches each made a presentation to the NEC which also received a report from the SAFA Technical Committee. It is from this process that the decision was arrived at,” SAFA President, Kirsten Nematandani said.
“It was not an easy decision as both coaches are well-equipped to take Bafana Bafana forward. At the end of the day, it was a unanimous decision and we think the final verdict was in the best interest of the nation,” he told supersport.
The SAFA president also appealed to members of the public and media to give the new chief coach all the support and not judge him on upcoming friendly matches against Brazil and Poland (both away).
“The bigger picture is the 2013 Afcon tournament and qualifying us for Brazil 2014 World Cup.”