Should Santana get the chop?

A tournament where the hosts never get beyond the first round is always dreaded because the general buzz and interest dies down. Bafana are not doing enough to allay this fear. France went all the way in 1998, South Korea kept the torch burning after Japan got knocked out when they were co-hosts in 2002 and Germany also reached the semi-finals in 2006. It looks like the unthinkable is about to happen with South Africa in 2010. Bafana’s results must also be a concern for the Fifa headquarters in Zurich knowing how much revenue could be lost should Bafana get knocked out in the first round.

So far Joel Santana has failed to impress since he took over 17 months ago especially considering that he is on a salary of R1.4 million a month, which makes him one of the highest paid coaches in Africa. His lack of English is also a cause for concern. How does he express instructions to the players? One of the biggest problems so far has been previous Safa administrators’ reluctance to go back on their decisions. When the national association presented Santana as national coach, many people wondered who he was because he was an unknown outside Brazil except for a few stints as a club coach in the United Arab Emirates and Japan. In his native Brazil he was mostly employed as a miracle man, called upon when clubs where in trouble of relegation. The fact that he was recommended by his compatriot Carlos Alberto Parreira also puts it under the spotlight. Did Safa consider any other candidates before they settled on Santana? Despite Bafana’s failure to reach next year’s African Nations Cup, some soccer administrators saw it as a blessing in disguise or they were just dizzy from the Brazilian euphoria but since then his position has been the source of much debate because Safa decided not to ditch him after the failure.

The fact that Santana is still awarding new caps to players points to a coach who is running out of ideas and a desperate search for depth. His approach to coaching South Africa has hindered the national team’s progress. His refusal to call Benni McCarthy and Nasief Morris, two players who are experienced and have endured the rigours of European soccer, is his fault as is his tactical inflexibility, late substitutions and inability to get the best out of some players, especially Teko Modise and Steven Pienaar. We know these two players, when they are on song they are untouchable and can help Bafana compete with the best in world football.

Having lost 8 of the last 9 matches, he is really walking on thin ice. He can not afford defeat against Japan on November 14^th and then Jamaica three days later. He has a lot of talent to choose from including one of the most consistent players in the English Premier League, Pienaar, or the star of the local league, Modise. The Confederations Cup might have gone well but winning one match, drawing one and losing three doesn’t hold up as a great record. Maybe he should have been shown the door back then considering that his win in that tournament came against minnows New Zealand. But Bafana are back in the spotlight after their recent performances, especially against Ireland’s B team and 96^th ranked Iceland, teams they could have easily beaten.

Santana is always going on about how well the players are doing and that “we are on track for 2010”. He says he was happy with individual performances against Norway in Oslo at the weekend and against Iceland in Reykjavik. After being in charge for 17 months, he should have built a team by now calling replacements only when there are injuries like Dunga does for Brazil? He has a settled team and results are there for everyone to see. The point raised by the coach that his team will be consistent and ready by the World Cup is also a concern, why can’t the team be ready now so that we go into the World Cup in high spirits?

Ultimately Santana will take the blame for all Bafana’s woes but the reality is that much of the criticism should be levelled at Safa for their blind faith in the Brazilian mentor. At least the current Safa administration are taking drastic steps to ensure the team improves but then isn’t that too little too late? Maybe it’s better to cut the cord now before the country sinks deeper into despair.