We want Benni! Fans clamour for McCarthy as new Bafana coach
South African football fans have taken to social media to call for Benni McCarthy to be appointed as the new national team coach.
The outcry comes after the dismissal of Molefi Ntseki as coach of Bafana Bafana after he failed the minimum requirements Safa set out for his coaching tenure.
Ntseki was contracted until after the 2023 World Cup but Safa had set reaching the Africa Cup of Nations as a minimum requirement for him to retain his position.
Some fans have backed McCarthy for the appointment at a later date, while others want him installed right away.
Benni in the technical area
Give them a Chance!! , Young Blood to transfrom our Football!
—.@BafanaBafana pic.twitter.com/fjL9SJATOG
MAPS_WELSHAARAWY
McCarthy is a clear fan favourite thanks to head coach stints at Cape Town City and Amazulu which have seen both clubs improve while playing an attractive brand of football.
It helps his case that McCarthy is an all-time great when it comes to pulling on a Bafana Bafana jersey but there is a great deal of momentum behind him thanks to his efforts as a coach and his willingness to learn from the best to improve.
Benni McCarthy backed for top job
Former Bafana Bafana coach Clive Barker, who remains the only man to coach the national team to a major trophy, has backed his former protege to take the reins.
“I think they should have thought of maybe someone like Benni McCarthy or people like that who can come in and turn this whole thing around‚” said Barker as quoted by the Sowetan.
“No doubt about it‚ he [McCarthy] is a breath of fresh air. He knows the game at the highest level and he has played and scored at the highest level.
“He has made his mark at national level as a player and he is now making his mark as a coach locally. He is the guy that should be able to take us forward.
“He is the flavour of the month at the moment and he should be too.
“He has done really well as a coach‚ the people respond well to him and they do it for a reason because he has delivered the goods before.”
Barker says Safa must support local coaches
Barker was critical of the lack of support given to local coaches when they take on the Bafana Bafana job.
“We have got coaches here at home and we must pay them to get the team in decent situations‚ and give them the support‚” he said.
“The only thing is to get results. We have got to get young Benni or a Pitso Mosimane who has won at the highest level in Africa.
“We have got people who have won things. There are talented people. There is Shakes Mashaba‚ who has had a tough time as coach.
“I think if they get everybody together that has coached Bafana that would be the way to go. I think those people have the right ideas.
“We definitely have the right quality of players and we have got the right set-up.”
Among the other names being thrown out there are former Bafana coach Pitso Mosimane and erstwhile Kaizer Chiefs boss Muhsin Ertugral.
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