TheSportsCampus

Gordon Igesund has been appointed as the new Head Coach of the South African Men's Senior National Team (Bafana Bafana). The announcement was made on Saturday, 30 June 2012 at SAFA House following a meeting of the National Executive Committee (NEC).

The new Head Coach has been offered a two-year contract with a mandate to reach at least the semi-final in the 2013 AFCON tournament which South Africa will host, as well as qualifying the country for the 2014 FIFA World Cup tournament in Brazil. The sports betting odds will certainly be against Igesund from achieving the former, especially considering that South Africa failed to even qualify for AFCON 2012, and one can't help but wonder if the SAFA is just setting him up for disaster by setting such a steep target.

"The two coaches each made a presentation to the NEC which also received a report from the SAFA Technical Committee. It is from this process that the decision was arrived at," said SAFA President Kirsten Nematandani.

"It was not an easy decision as both coaches are well-equipped to take Bafana Bafana forward. At the end of the day, it was a unanimous decision and we think the final verdict was in the best interest of the nation."

The SAFA President also appealed to members of the public and media to give the new Head Coach all the support and not judge him on upcoming friendly matches against Brazil and Poland (both away).

"The bigger picture is the 2013 AFCON tournament and qualifying us for Brazil 2014 World Cup," added Nematandani.