Rulani Mokwena and Benni McCarthy are not among the candidates in the frame for the Bafana Bafana post as SAFA steps up the process to replace outgoing head coach Hugo Broos, FARPost has learnt.
The Belgian coach’s five-year tenure at the helm of South Africa has ended, but there has been talk that he might continue working for SAFA in a different capacity. Fresh from the 2026 FIFA World Cup, where Bafana made history by going past the group stage for the first time, there is also sentiment that he should remain as coach of the national side.
The former Cameroon coach had initially indicated that he would retire from football coaching after the World Cup. But he appears to have had a change of mind, saying he will decide his future in the next few weeks. However, SAFA are busy perusing CVs submitted by coaches interested in replacing Broos. The local football governing body intends to have a new coach start work by August 1, ahead of the 2027 AFCON qualifiers that kick off in September.
That gives them around three weeks to conclude the process of settling for the man who will continue with the history-making Bafana side. Pitso Mosimane has tendered his application to return to the Bafana fold after his unsuccessful stint with Bafana between 2010 and 2012.
But over the years, he has carved a colourful coaching profile, leading Mamelodi Sundowns to the CAF Champions League title. He won two more Champions League titles with Al Ahly and reached the FIFA Club World Cup final three times.
South Africa’s Sports Minister Gayton McKenzie has come out vociferously backing Mosimane to succeed Broos. The 61-year-old has also coached in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Iran.
RULANI MOKWENA AND BENNI MCCARTHY RULE THEMSELVES OUT OF THE BAFANA BAFANA JOB
Mokwena is in Libya, in charge of Al Ittihad SC, whom he joined in March and has not taken a shot at the Bafana job. The 39-year-old has never worked with any national side, having been involved in club football throughout his coaching career so far.
Despite being mentioned among those linked to the Bafana role, Mokwena has not submitted an application for the position, FARPost has established. Having worked at Orlando Pirates and Sundowns, he has furthered his experience by coaching Wydad Casablanca in Morocco and then Algerian giants MC Alger, before going to Libya.
This publication has also learnt that Bafana’s all-time leading goal-scorer, McCarthy, has not applied for the South Africa job amid widespread speculation that he would be among the candidates. He is the current Kenya coach, spearheading the 2027 AFCON project. Kenya will co-host the continental competition together with their East African neighbours, Uganda and Tanzania, making the project one of the country’s biggest football priorities in recent years.
Since embarking on his coaching journey in 2015, he has built his profile, highlighted by a two-year stint as Manchester United’s forwards coach. He worked under Erik ten Hag and helped oversee the development of the English Premier League side’s attacking players.
ARTHUR ZWANE MAKES MOVE FOR BAFANA BAFANA BAFANA GIG
This publication has learned that Zwane has thrown his hat into the ring to replace Broos. The former Kaizer Chiefs coach is currently with AmaZulu FC, whom he led to an MTN8 spot after securing position four on the Betway Premiership table last season.
The 52-year-old is not new to the national team setup, having previously been assistant to Molefi Ntseki before Broos took over. After leaving Chiefs, Zwane has rebuilt Usuthu into a competitive outfit, although he is yet to reach the bar set by McCarthy when he guided Usuthu to CAF Champions League qualification after a PSL runners-up spot during the 2020/21 season.
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