11 September 2019 – SAFA recently announced the appointment of Molefe Ntseki as the head coach of the Senior Men’s National team. Although many South Africans were asking themselves all sorts of questions, some thought bigger name coaches should be given the job, but hats off to SAFA for having faith in a local coach for the top job.

Molefe Ntseki remains a coach who comes with a lot of experience, over 20 years to be exact. A coach who started out in the then Vodacom league with Welkom FC and took the team all the way to the National First Division. A coach who then went to Bloemfontein Celtic, stabilized the entire youth structure of the club and later went on to work for SAFA with our national junior teams.

Although many of our own South Africans have been very negative regarding the appointment of Molefi Ntseki, we cannot as a nation that forgets that he was responsible for taking our national u-17 to its very first FIFA World Cup in the history of our nation. A man who then went to be an assistant coach for the u-20, u-23 as well as for Bafana Bafana under coach Shakes Mashaba and recently under Stuart Baxter.

SAFA must be commended for having trust, faith and the courage to give a local man the top job. A man who has went through all the stages and tribulations and who knows the national structure of our football. This is a perfect example of someone who started of as a student, gets an internship, then gets given a junior position and later on working his way to the top position.

So we as South Africans need to support Molefe, the entire continent needs to see his appointment as a win for local football and for African coaches who many never get given the task of coaching national teams.

As we’re soldiering on with vision 2022, it’s very important to have someone who is on par with the vision. Who has coached our players at junior level, graduated with them through the ranks and now has the opportunity to take them further at senior level. But also, it’s very important to have someone whose been there within the ranks for purposes of continuation instead of starting all over with a coach who doesn’t understand us and our way of playing.

But also his appointment is a win for our grassroot football, for them to see the inspiration of one of their own getting the job. Who better to coach Bafana Bafana then a coach who understands the ground just like Molefe Ntseki.

Written by Modibe Modiba. Modiba is a football commentator and social media expert