Who the hell is Joel Santana?
So. Who is Joel Santana and why would he succeed Carlos Perreira as coach of the SA national soccer team?
The answer? God only knows!
For one, I have no clue to what state of mind the SAFA executives are finding themselves in. Neither do I understand the notion that the best coach for the national side should be Brazilian. As I saw it, at the time, Parreira was go-to man since the national side had a tough time qualifying for any top competition, let alone winning matches convincingly. And who better to lead the fightback than a man that has coached a national team to 7 world cup finals and winning one, with Brazil , in 1994. And when his stint as coach started you could literally smell the confusion in the SA side’s playing style as they were evolving from an African style of play to the more lethal and rampant style of the South Americans.
So in order to remain consistent, it seems, the executives opted for another Brazilian in the form of Joel Santana. I guess their choices may have been limited since there are four African Nations qualifiers coming up shortly and steering the shoddy boat which is SA football into that ocean with no captain at the wheel is all but suicidal, but why another Brazilian?
I can only guess that the top brass are reluctant to change the national side’s focus in playing style too much before such big games and the 2010 world cup coming up. It looked as if the SA side finally got the hang off their new style and felt comfortable enough in its skin in the drubbing handed to Paraguay . But still…why Joel Santana.
Joel Santana is a bit of a coaching legend in Brazil . Not unlike Gordon Igesund for SA. But Gordon’s never coached a national side! And neither have Joel. Some would argue that there might be politics at work when a renowned coach are left out to dry when a national coach is selected, and there may be valid arguments for it too. Gordon Igesund have won the PSL with four different teams inside 10 years, most of which were teams that no-one would have fancied as champs at the start of that particular season. Surely that is a mark of a brilliant coach? Did Joel do the same?
Some would argue that he has a pretty effective record albeit not a great one. He won a few state championships and one national title as coach, but he was also fired four times inside 2 years from four different clubs. His track record as coach looks stable, but then again, so is Trott Moloto’s!
I can understand that Carlos Parreira would have felt a bit guilty in resigning so soon after his appointment and even embarrassed in some way. He was supposed to be the last hope of a side aiming to perform well in the 2010 World Cup and now he splits at the first sign of getting homesick. I would also have suggested an able replacement in the hope that it would put the baby which is SA football to rest. Fortunately it would be the decision of the SA executives to either accept the replacement in good faith or to politely decline the offer and opting to pursue other avenues in finding a suitable replacement.
It is shocking, to say the least, that the top brass hurriedly decided in hiring Joel based on Carlos’ recommendations. At $200 000 he does not come cheap and he (Joel) have already told sources that he would cherish the opportunity as he would make more during his 30 month contract than he made the last 30 years. Where are the loyalties lying with this man? At the moment, clearly not football; let alone SA football.
And for how long must Gordon Igesund be knocking on doors for an opportunity to lead the SA charge to greatness?
Every man has the right to his own opinion and to have it respected. This is mine…SA football is taking two steps forward and three steps back every time they make an important decision. If this new venture with Joel Santana flops I will be first to point fingers and not feel guilty about it too as I have seen this coming a mile away. And just for that, even though I would under normal circumstances never admit it, I hope that SA exits the world cup in round one. If only to see if ol’ Gordon gets his shot at long last.
