DURBAN - It appears likely that Benni McCarthy will see out the current season with AmaZulu before taking the Bafana Bafanma reins.
According to reports, Benni McCarthy is set to be named as the new South Africa national team coach next Wednesday, with the former star striker roping in Usuthu technical staff members Siyabonga Nomvethe and Moeneeb Joseph’s along with him.
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McCarthy has drawn praise for the work that he has done with AmaZulu since being appointed as it’s coach last December. He has transformed the Durban based side from a team fighting relegation last season into an outfit one fighting at the top of the DStv Premiership standings.
Usuthu are well-placed to qualify for next season’s CAF Champions League and have an outside chance of winning the league this season after going top of the standings following their win over Golden Arrows on Saturday.
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McCarthy’s technical acumen could be very beneficial to the South African national team, especially as he has demonstrated that he can get the most out of his players, as he did during the earlier part of his previous coaching stint with Cape Town City and now with Usuthu.
In addition, the trio of McCarthy, Nomvethe, and Joseph’s may be able to relate to the current crop of Bafana players arguably better than any of the previous coaches.
Nomvethe and Josephs both retired from playing in the last two years and so would have played with or against the majority of the players in the Bafana fold.
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McCarthy could also bring in a winning mentality to the national team fold, something which it has evidently lacked since the mid-2000s due to his successful playing career in Europe and his innovative coaching approaches.
However, it does remain to be seen whether McCarthy will be able to form close relationships within Safa. As can be seen from his previous press conferences, McCarthy tends to be brutally honest and blunt in terms of his analysis of the game.