[imagesource: Gallo Images]

The last time Bafana Bafana qualified for a FIFA World Cup was way back in 2010.

We automatically qualified as the host nation and duly became the first host nation in history to fail to make the second round. So be it – we’ll never forget the unbridled joy of watching Siphiwe Tshabalala’s thunderbolt in the opening game against Mexico.

Failing to qualify for the World Cup is one thing, but Bafana Bafana has even struggled in recent times to make the African Cup of Nations (AFCON), missing the 2017 and 2021 editions.

Belgian football coach Hugo Broos was brought in to try and steady the ship and has had his hands full. The team is due to play two friendlies in the coming week – Sierra Leone on Saturday and Botswana on Tuesday, both at FNB Stadium.

They say a fish rots from the head down and here’s a prime example via TimesLIVE:

Broos [below] was left frustrated when the national team could not train at Dobsonville Stadium.

“I didn’t know we couldn’t train on the pitch today. If you ask me where are we going to train, I can’t answer you because we didn’t do it [Bafana did not get the arrangements wrong],” Broos said as SA held a press conference at Dobsonville Stadium on Monday.

Image: Lefty Shivambu / Gallo Images

Apparently SAFA officials were supposed to book the ground with SMSA [Stadium Management SA]. TimesLIVE was told Bafana team manager Vincent Tseka was ultimately responsible and slipped up by not carrying out that duty.

You read that correctly. Our national team was unable to train because the sport’s governing body failed to book the venue.

This would be embarrassing at an English non-league football club, let alone at the national team level.

It gets worse, with SAFA CEO Tebogo Motlanthe denying any mistake and telling the media that Bafana Bafana did hold a training session.

However, two SAFA officials who did not want to be named told TimesLIVE Bafana didn’t train on Monday…

SMSA managing director Bertie Grobbelaar confirmed the stadium was not ready, but said that was because SAFA had not booked a training session at the ground for Monday…

“I see there is a [media] report that there was something wrong with the pitch. There was nothing wrong with the pitch. The stadium wasn’t booked.”

Broos is reportedly livid, as he should be, although he’s learnt that one needs a thick skin and a great deal of patience to manage the national team.

He’s already been critical of the PSL (our national league) for not making club coaches available for a meeting, and later criticised the standard of the PSL.

Bafana Bafana is currently ranked 68th in the world in the official FIFA rankings, sandwiched between Montenegro and the UAE.

[source:timeslive]