The Great Gamble
There was a time, not too long ago, when the mere mention of money was anathema in sports ~ professionals were allowed in Wimbledon for the first time in 1968, and in the Olympics only from 1988.
South Africa’s coach of the national men’s football team, Stuart Baxter, has resigned from his designation with immediate effect.
This means South Africa will now need to look out for a head coach after their run-up to the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) quarter-final. South Africa had a pretty decent run in the tournament on their way to the quarter-final.
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However, Baxter believes that is this is perhaps the best time for him to move ahead.
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The former coach of teams like Kaizer Chiefs and Finland stated that it is the correct time for Bafana Bafana to move into a new cycle. This is because now the focus will entirely be on the qualification for the Africa Cup of Nations in 2021 and the FIFA World Cup in 2022.
“I feel it’s time for someone else to take over and I have decided to resign from my position. It is my personal decision,” Baxter told BBC Sport.
“Going to the AFCON, this squad had not lost in a year, something that was not easy considering we were introducing new players.
“I’ve chosen not to point fingers and I will refrain from that. Choosing not to answer some misleading media coverage is something that’s also hard to do,” he said.
South Africa defeated Egypt 1-0 before losing to Nigeria in the quarter-finals of Africa Cup of Nations 2019.
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