Give Jomo the job, say fans

A month ago the South African Football Association (Safa) had a list of seven candidates who they wished to interview for the vacant post of Bafana Bafana coach.

On Thursday the shortlist is expected to be whittled down from a "magnificent seven" that included World Cup-winning coaches and players, to just two locals.

And of that pair Jomo Sono has emerged as the "peoples' choice" ahead of Ajax Cape Town's Gordon Igesund.

Four years ago Sono, owner of Premier Soccer League club Jomo Cosmos, stepped in at the last minute to take charge of Bafana at the World Cup finals in South Korea and Japan. In 2003 Sono once again was at the helm when Bafana played England in a high-profile World Cup bid match in Durban.

On both occasions Bafana gave above-average performances, winning their first-ever match at a World Cup tournament and coming within one goal of qualifying for the second round when they cruelly lost to Spain 3-2.

In Durban Sono's team pushed a full-strength England side all the way before going down 2-1.

In a recent poll in Kick Off magazine Sono was voted the clear favourite by SA fans to become Bafana's full-time coach for the next four years.

When Clive Barker was ousted as Bafana coach in last 1997, Sono took a young team to the 98 Cup of Nations finals in Burkina Faso and confounded all his critics as South Africa reached the final where they lost to Nigeria.

Sono's popularity, however, goes way beyond his playing days when he was dubbed the "Black Prince" of SA soccer.

Never one afraid to speak his mind, Sono said on Monday he probably has never been out of Safa's bad books.

He rarely criticises fellow coaches but hammers administrators and those he sees do not have the best interests of the game at heart.

He speaks from the heart and shoots from the hip.

Late in 2005 the Bafana job became vacant for the 13th time in 14 years when Englishman Stuart Baxter was forced to resign after South Africa failed to qualify for next month's World Cup.

Saying they intended waiting before installing the best-qualified man to take SA to the 2010 finals, Safa installed Ted Dumitru as a stand-in coach - with an option of continuing in the job if the results went well - for the Africa Cup of Nations in January.

Dumitru was immediately sacked as South Africa crumbled to their worst performance at the Cup of Nations, losing all three matches.

Since then Safa received more than 40 applications, including from former England coach Terry Venables and Ireland's Brian Kerr, for the post. As is the way Safa often operates, Venables never received acknowledgment of his application and dropped from the Bafana scene.

On April 27 the Cape Argus reported that Luiz Felipe Scolari, Gérard Houllier, Carlos Alberto Parreira, Claude Le Roy, Sono, Gordon Igesund and Zico were the names on Sturu Pasiya's list.

Pasiya is head of the Safa technical committee, a body that includes Dumitru, tasked with finding a coach that will guide the national soccer team to the World Cup finals at home in 2010.

Over the past few weeks Zico has dismissed any link with the Bafana post, saying he intended coaching in Europe once his duties with Japan at the World Cup were complete.

In April Scolari was headhunted amid a blaze of publicity and speculation by England but turned the job down because of "media pressure" which would likely to be similar in SA. However, Safa is unlikely to be able to afford around R30-million a year for the Portugal coach.

In a similar vein Houllier, coach of French champions Lyon, would probably opt for the equivalent of R72-million on offer as a four-year deal to replace Guus Hiddinck as Australia's coach.

Brazil coach Parreira is another who'd come with huge financial demands and who would also have concerns when looking at the plight of foreigners that have either been pushed from, or jumped, the Bafana ship.

Today Pusiya was uncertain whether Le Roy would be at Thursday's interview.

"It's possible Le Roy will come, we are trying to get his travel documents in place."

Last men standing: seven still in the frame for Bafana hotseat

Gordon Igesund:

Currently with Ajax Cape Town but ambitious (and understandably so) and keen to get a crack at the Bafana job on the back of a strong domestic CV. Our odds: 11-10 favourite

Jomo Sono:

People's favourite and who has the respect of the players. Has been critical of Safa and their workings - and is not guaranteed to hang on when (not if) things get tough. Our odds: 2-1

Claude Le Roy:

The DR Congo manager who has a surprisingly strong support base in this country. Should make the next Safa shortlist. Our odds: 4-1

Gérard Houllier:

Frenchman currently with Lyon but who has been offered a $16-million carrot (about R72-million) to take over Australia at the end of the World Cup. Our odds: 7-1

Carlos Alberto Parreira:

Coach of world champions Brazil. If they were to do well at Germany 2006, why would he want to go from a team ranked No1 to the one that's ranked No 53 in the world? Our odds: 12-1

Phil Scolari:

Brazilian and former World Cup-winning manager. Contracted to Portugal until July 21. Accepted the England job in principle but then turned it down because of "media intrusion". Our odds: 16-1

Zico:

Brazilian who won the World Cup as a player, now manager of Japan. Freely admits he doesn't want the job and prefers to find a club in Europe after the World Cup. Our odds: 100-1.