Is Mashaba on shaky ground?

The lobby to have Shakes Mashaba axed as Bafana Bafana coach was given fresh impetus when highly-talented FC Twente midfielder Kamohelo Mokotjo announced his retirement from the national football team.

The lobby to have Shakes Mashaba axed as Bafana Bafana coach was provided with added ammunition and fresh impetus when highly-talented FC Twente midfielder Kamohelo Mokotjo yesterday announced his retirement from the national football team “until circumstances change”.

While one player’s unhappiness, and subsequent decision, shouldn’t be enough to force Mashaba’s employers – Safa – into action, it’s the cumulative weight of everything that has gone down in recent months, which should at least goad the association into a re-think around the position of the national coach.

Mokotjo, a star in the Dutch Eredivisie with FC Twente, has reached the end of his tether, and he’s now of the opinion that Mashaba probably has something “personal” against him.

In the two recent 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Cameroon, the 25-year-old had to spend time travelling to South Africa, then make his way with the squad to Cameroon and back to SA.

He played no part in both games – watching from the terraces in Limbe, Cameroon, and was a present but anonymous figure on the bench in the return game in Durban. Seemingly, though, it would certainly appear that Mashaba's had no intention of engaging this bright young talent.

While the exhausting travel is all part and parcel of a professional footballer’s career, the point is that if Mashaba wasn’t going to use Mokotjo, then he could just as well have left the player at home, rather than bring him all the way for nothing.

Mokotjo is not the first SA footballer to complain about this – many overseas players have been unhappy at being treated in this manner in the past.

Mokotjo plays week in and week out against some of the best footballers in Europe, against top sides like Ajax Amsterdam, PSV Eindhoven and Feyenoord, but he cannot get a place in the Bafana team, not even on the bench? Really? There’s something seriously wrong with that.

Mashaba has previously made some disparaging remarks about Mokotjo, and it’s this that’s prompted the FC Twente star to believe there has to be something more at the root of it all, which is why he has been sidelined by Bafana.

At the weekend, the player outlined his dissatisfaction with the situation in an interview with a Dutch newspaper. And yesterday, in a statement, he said:

“I have always supported the cause to improve our game in South Africa and ensure we do well in all competitions.

“I have gracefully honoured every call up and have always given my best whenever presented with a chance to don the national team jersey.

“It is very unfortunate that current circumstances are not conducive for me to break into the Bafana line-up and I respect the decisions of the technical team led by coach Shakes Mashaba. I hereby wish to notify you that I will not honour the national team call-ups in the near future, until circumstances change.

“I also wish to extend my heartfelt gratitude to my teammates – my fellow soldiers who have supported me throughout. Trust me, our paths will cross again. Thank you to my family, friends, members of the media, sponsors and coaches I’ve played under, and all those that have backed me through these trying times.

“I’m optimistic that things will change and I will proudly wear the Bafana jersey again one day.

“I will continue working hard as a footballer and ensure that I improve my game, so I can one day be able to don the Bafana jersey with pride and represent the country in our quest to reclaim our number one position on the continent.

“Please respect the decision I have taken. It was not an easy one as I love my country with all of my heart. I will continue to be the number one fan of South African football.”

Mokotjo, of course, is not the first to be galvanised into such a decision (others include Benni McCarthy and Steven Pienaar).

But it’s all symptomatic of the malaise that has always stunted the progress of the national team.

It doesn’t matter who is in charge, it all boils down to which football agents are the closest to the coach – these are the players who are first in line. And until this practice is eliminated, it’s a situation that will continue to play itself out in the national team.

Safa has so far refused to comment, saying that it first wants to speak to the player before responding.

But all in all, the ball is still in Safa’s court. Keep Mashaba, or is it time to plot yet another new direction, under yet another new coach? - Cape Times