SAFA’s revered technical director Walter Steenbok could be on his way out of the country’s football mother body. Steenbok, credited for transforming local football, is reportedly mulling his exit from SAFA.
FARPost has gathered that Steenbok, who has led SAFA’s technical division since September 2022, has hinted his intention to leave. His exit would be a massive blow as he had brought a refreshing work ethic to the association.
Steenbok, who signed a five-year deal, is just halfway through his tenure. He is credited with returning the CAF A and B licenses after over six years of absence.
During his time at SAFA, the former chief scout of Mamelodi Sundowns and Kaizer Chiefs has also revitalised and established technical programmes with the support of FIFA’s Technical Development Scheme.
Despite his efforts, his tenure at SAFA House has been a bit of a rocky one. Steenbok spent time trying to defend himself in a disciplinary case. It was alleged that Steenbok breached SAFA’s statutes and internal policies and procedures.
He faced a disciplinary hearing at SAFA on allegations of gross misconduct, gross mismanagement and gross insubordination, among other charges.
WHY STEENBOK IS MULLING RESIGNING
According to sources within the corridors of SAFA, Steenbok has reportedly been considering his exit “for a while”. This is due to “the lack of support” at SAFA.
The holder of two master’s degrees, including one in sports directorship from Manchester Metropolitan University, reportedly felt his work was stifled by “internal politics.”
Interestingly, SAFA president Danny Jordaan has hailed him for doing “a great job”. “He’s done a great job and continuing to do a great job. We have never had so many A-licence coaches in our country. We always said in order to transform football in our country, we must have more qualified coaches. When we started, we had no qualified coaches in the country, not even in the Premier League [PSL],” Jordaan said.
RELATED STORY: SAFA explain why Molefi Ntseki will take over Bafana CHAN squad
