Safa CEO Motlanthe working on finding Tovey’s successor

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The embattled football governing body is not in a hurry to replace the former Bafana skipper as yet

Following the expiration of his contract last week, the South African Football Association (Safa) says it is no hurry to replace technical director Neil Tovey.

The former Bafana Bafana skipper saw his contract coming to an end last month and the football governing body’s CEO Tebogo Motlanthe says they have started the process of identifying the legend’s successor.

‘Mokoko’ led the national side to Africa Cup of Nations glory in 1996 on home soil but the cash-strapped governing body could take time to replace him as the national teams are not in action because of the coronavirus pandemic.

“As the CEO, I’m working on that position to be filled,” said Motlanthe as quoted by the DailySun.

“Once we are fine, we’ll make an announcement. Sadly we can’t rush now because we don’t have any activities internationally.

“If I appoint someone now, I’ll appoint that person and do what? To come and be in the office? It will not make sense. But it is a process and we have started it.”

The Bafana legend had also opened up about his imminent departure from the Nasrec-based organization, saying the governing body had to cut its expenditure and that parting ways with Safa was a mutual agreement.

The 58-year-old had been serving as the Safa technical director for the last five years and his contract came to an end at the end of June.

Although Safa’s financial struggles are well documented, Motlanthe’s sentiments suggest they are looking to fill the void left by the former Kaizer Chiefs skipper.

Meanwhile, in January 2020, Safa parted ways with American sportswear giants Nike, who was their technical sponsor and media reports suggest they have agreed on a new sponsorship deal with Le Coq Sportif.

Looking at the former Mamelodi Sundowns coach's record, Tovey led former coach Clive Barker’s troops to the 1996 Africa Cup of Nations title as the national team captain and he played 52 international matches for South Africa.

While media reports also surfaced that the governing body has already started with a retrenchment processes because of the ravaging pandemic, Motlanthe could not offer insight on their progress so far.

2020-07-05 10:00:05

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