South African Football Association has today officially unveiled Staurt William Baxter as the coach of the national team Bafana Bafana on a five-year deal.
The 63-year old Scottish joins the 1996 AFCON champions from Supersport United in the premier soccer league.
He will however continue to dispense his duties as Superport manager till the end of the current 2016/17 season.
His immediate task as the new Bafana manager will be to prepare the team to face the Super Eagles of Nigeria in the 2019 AFCON qualifiers on 10th June in Uyo.
“We will try to unite the whole country through this beautiful game,” the former Pretson North and South Melbourne FC midfielder said.
“I hope we will be very competitive with Nigeria. We will give them a game,” he added.
Baxter expressed readiness to face the Super Eagles which has been on a fine run since Gernot Rohr took charge as coach.
“I’m really looking forward to this latest challenge. If I wasn’t ready, I would not have accepted the challenge.
“I believe the nation has enough players to succeed and I believe in my abilities.”
This will be Baxter’s second stint at the helm of Bafana – having managed them back in 2004.
His journey was nonetheless cut shot in 2005 after failing to qualify for the 2006 FIFA World Cup.
“I came back because I see things SAFA is trying to build for this great country,” Baxter said.
SAFA under their current president Danny Jordaan has received plaudits for developing youth football that has seen prodigies like Percy Tau blossom.
Baxter said he will be traveling abroad to monitor players, “I will be going abroad to watch players who ply their trade there. I will watch every South African. They will get a fair chance.”
