Walter Steenbok successor has big shoes to fill at SAFA - Selekedi Mogale

Mogale spoke to SABC Sport at a farewell function for the team in Orange Farm this afternoon, as they head to the CAF Schools Championship in Ghana.

Steenbok’s departure is a big blow to this vision, says the coach. 

"It's very difficult because he was the man that planted the vision and he got the guys and ladies together for that vision, and even if we had the data base and assessment camp that we recently had, we could not call all of them due to time constraints to the tournament.

"It's been very difficult because now we redirect ourselves to completing the vision without the guy who thought of the vision, and when you think about it, it makes quite a lot of sense what he implanted in all of us in this programme and the U15s.

"He's jealous because he knows the U15s needs time, it's their first international competition, he was jealous because he believed in their talent, he was someone who said we shouldn't sacrifice who we are as South Africans, especially on the continent.

"If we can start them as young as possible, we'll have great fruits when it comes to Bafana Bafana."

Steenbok resigned last month, citing a lack of support and low salary as part of the reason, and Mogale, who, together with his technical team, had been working closely with the TD, unpacked the vision for both the boys and girls U15 years.

"The actual vision from our former TD was that this could be the foundation of our U17 national teams going forward, as you know the U17 programmes has changed to an annual World Cup," he added.

"So the vision here was to find a group, firstly, that we can build on and in each and every phase, see if we can reinforce, even from here [Schools Championships], this was not supposed to be the end, it's supposed to then go through the U15 TDS programme until U17 – that way our country has a better future for what we'll present in later years."

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