Lucas Radebe believes South Africa coach Joel Santana could lose his job if the hosts disappoint in next month's Fifa Confederations Cup.Bafana Bafana kick off the event against Iraq on 14 June, before facing New Zealand and Spain in Group B. “If we do badly at the Confederations Cup, Santana could be out of a job because that’s how South Africans are,” the 40-year-old told BBC Sport. “The fans will judge you by the performance on the day. It has happened before with Jomo Sono, Ephraim ‘Shakes’ Mashaba and other coaches, so I’m afraid it can happen again.”
The former national team captain added: “It would not be a great thing, especially at the eleventh hour, for once the coach changes, the team, morale and confidence all change and that destabilises the team.” South Africa has previous form in such matters, most notably when Mashaba was sacked the day before Bafana Bafana left for the 2004 African Nations Cup following criticism of his squad selection. The side then failed to reach the second round for the first time since winning the tournament in 1996.
Now the pressure is on Santana, the Brazilian who has won seven and lost six of his 15 matches, to show his team is making progress. With South Africa in the competition’s weakest group – Group A features Brazil, Italy, Egypt and the United States – expectations are high despite the poor form in recent years.
Post published in: Football