South Africa assistant coach Helman Mkhalele
Thursday Jun 22, 2023. 15:00
Bafana Bafana assistant coach Helman Mkhalele will not be at the helm for the COSAFA Cup as he lacks the necessary requirements to stand on the touchline for the tournament.
The South African Football Association (SAFA) announced on Wednesday that Morena Ramoreboli will coach the locally-based team, while Raymond Mdaka is set to serve as his right-hand man.
No reason was given for Mkhalele’s absence, but he only holds a SAFA level one badge and COSAFA regulations stipulate that all coaches must have a CAF Pro, A or B coaching licence in line with CAF requirements.
“My licence hasn’t been converted to CAF but the association is working towards addressing that issue. I currently have a SAFA level one licence, so the plan is to convert it to CAF,” he told Sowetan on Wednesday.
South Africa head coach Hugo Broos has a clause in his contract which excludes him from COSAFA Cup and Africa Nations Championship (CHAN) duties, although his hopes of Mkhalele steering the ship for the two tournaments have been dashed.
Ramoreboli is expected to name his squad for the 2023 edition this week and will be looking to go all the way on home soil this year after winning the final in 2022.
