South Africa’s preparations for next year’s World Cup took a heavy but expected knock last night after their Brazilian Joel Santana quit under pressure due to a string of poor results.
Brazilian-born Santana resigned on Monday after he met with the Safa management committee. This followed a dismal 16 months in charge of the national soccer team, that has seen Bafana Bafana plunge down the rankings to 85nd place.
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The 85th ranking is Bafana Bafana’s lowest ever, with South Africa dropping 12 positions from last month’s 73rd placing, reports say. Press reports today say the front runners to take the job are former Bafana head coach Carlos Alberto Parreira, SuperSport United’s Gavin Hunt and Gordon Igesund of Maritzburg United.
A new coach is set to be unveiled Friday but Parreira is said to be the stronger candidate with less than eight months before next year’s hosting of the World Cup.
Parreira, who won the World Cup with Brazil in 1994 in the United States, quit as head coach of Bafana last April citing his wife’s illness as his reason.
Santana was hired under the Parreira’s recommendation, but according to newspaper reports, he would be happy to return and take charge of the squad for the 2010 World Cup if asked as long as Santana is out of the way.
It is speculated that SAFA have already made a deal with Parreira.
Santana is not likely to be missed by South African soccer fans.
Bafana under Santana had lost eight of their last nine friendly games only for him to say “he was not hired to win friendly matches but the world cup!”
Santana was in charge of 27 matches but failed to beat any top opposition in an official international.
Santana was on a R1,4 million-a-month salary.
