Bafana Bafana coach Molefi Ntseki was sacked on Wednesday following South Africa’s failure to qualify for the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon). 

The South African Football Association (SAFA) confirmed the move at a media conference in Johannesburg attended by CEO Tebogo Motlanthe and head of the technical committee Jack Maluleke.

“I was sent here by the SAFA national executive committee to communicate a decision that the association will be parting ways with coach Ntseki,” Motlanthe said. 

“The national executive committee has mandated us to apologise on their behalf to the nation for the failure to qualify for the upcoming Afcon in Cameroon. 

“Unfortunately, we did not qualify. And we know that the expectation was that we qualify and do well in Afcon. The [committee] undertook a process, from last night, to decide on the way forward with the coach and what happens to the coach. By 10 o’clock today the [committee] had responded in favour of parting ways with the coach.”

In another bout of shuffling the deckchairs on a listing ship, Ntseki was the 18th Bafana coach since readmission to world football in 1992. In all, there have now been 27 coaching changes, which includes Jomo Sono and Ephraim Mashaba, who had seven stints as national coach between them.

Ntseki’s fate was sealed after South Africa’s 2-0 away defeat to Sudan on Sunday, which denied them qualification for Afcon 2022. A draw would have been enough to qualify. DM