South Africa coach Ephraim Mashaba has been suspended by the country’s football association after he was involved in an altercation with officials following the World Cup qualifying victory over Senegal at the weekend.
Mashaba will miss Tuesday’s friendly in Mozambique and faces a disciplinary hearing over allegations of rude behaviour towards South African Football Association (SAFA) president Danny Jordaan and his guests, who went to congratulate the team in the changing room after Saturday’s 2-1 win in Polokwane.
“SAFA has deemed it necessary to employ disciplinary measures after a regrettable incident at Peter Mokaba Stadium on Saturday,” SAFA said in a statement, adding that assistant coach Owen da Gama would lead the side against Mozambique in Maputo.
“As is our custom in matters such as these, the association will not be making any further comments on this matter out of respect for the dignity of the head coach and the association and the legally privileged nature of such proceedings.”
A SAFA official told Reuters on Monday: “Mashaba does not know how to be graceful in victory.”
Jordaan had warned Mashaba last month that the coach would lose his job should the side fail to qualify for the 2018 World Cup after South Africa were unable to secure a berth at next year’s African Nations Cup finals.
South Africa held on for a controversial 2-1 home win over Group D favourites Senegal on Saturday with Mashaba telling reporters the victory felt “like a second lease of life. I was dead already”.
The 66-year-old has a history of problems with officialdom and the media, including towards the end of his previous stint in charge of the national side from 2002-04 when he was suspended from the post for a friendly against England.
Then, Mashaba refused to select foreign-based players such as Quinton Fortune and Benni McCarthy for the match in Durban because he felt they did not give him enough respect.
Saturday’s win lifted South Africa into a share of top spot in their World Cup qualifying group on four points from their opening two matches.
