South Africa’s football association has finally named a new coach to take over the national team, four months after Shakes Mashaba was fired from that position.
The football body named Supersport United’s Stuart Baxter as Mashaba’s replacement, saying he would take charge of the national side at the end of the current season.
“We are pleased to have finally reached (an) agreement with Supersport United on the release of Coach Baxter. SAFA believes that the coach has the necessary skills to navigate the tough qualification path for the Africa Cup of Nations and the FIFA World Cup. We thank Supersport United for their support towards the goals of the Association and its national teams,” SAFA’s CEO, Dennis Mumble said on Thursday.
The Englishman’s first job will be next month’s tough test against Nigeria in an Africa Cup of Nations qualifier.
Last week, SAFA hissued a statement saying it had reached an agreement with Bafana Bafana’s new coach, but did not give a name.
Baxter has had coaching stints in other countries including Japan, Finland and Turkey.
Supersport United are currently ranked sixth in the South African league. The club is hoping to retain the Nedbank Cup title, a befitting send off for their coach before he takes charge of the national team.
