Baxter reveals ambitions to use two Bafana squads in the coming months
Bafana Bafana coach Stuart Baxter has revealed ambitious plans to use his Cosafa Cup squad as a sparring partner for some of the teams that are going to the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
The Briton plans to use matches against World Cup-bound teams as preparation for the 2019 Africa U23 Cup of Nations and Olympic qualifiers.
South Africa must qualify and finish in the top three of the U23 Cup of Nations in Egypt next year or win a play-off against opposition from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) to earn a spot at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.
Baxter said the plan‚ still to be rubber stamped by his employers at Safa House‚ could see two Bafana Bafana squads‚ a senior team playing in the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers and another side playing in the Cosafa Cup in Polokwane in May and in the Olympic qualifiers.
“We are working on having a Cosafa squad on the road playing senior football against good opposition and playing a single game against one of the teams going to the World Cup as a sparring partner‚” he said after returning from Zambia where Bafana won the Four Nations tournament.
“Cosafa is not scheduled on Fifa dates but I am going to talk to clubs and coaches and effectively Bafana Bafana will have two squads on the road with the Olympic team in Cosafa.
"That is an idea and a principle.
"I am not saying that is exactly what is going to happen but that is our ambition.
"I think we have to think outside the box‚” he said‚ reiterating that Cosafa Cup does not benefit South African football much because clubs are always reluctant to release players.
“With Cosafa we satisfy Cosafa and Caf but we end up not getting anything.
"That’s why the last one we supported the players like Mario Booysens and other younger ones.
"We did not throw them to the wolves but we wanted to see how they would account for themselves.
"South African football we should include Cosafa as part of preparations for an Olympics.
"For an example‚ the tournament is not on the Fifa calendar and we end up taking players in bits and pieces and it achieves nothing for South Africa.”
Baxter said the Four Nations tournament in Zambia was good for Bafana because they played against good opposition.
“With all due to respect to Cosafa‚ it comes at a time where we fight to get the players and I think if we bring it as part of the Olympic preparations then you won’t have that same fight.
"In Zambia the crowd was noisy and Ryan Moon came on with about ten to fifteen minutes to go knowing that we are leading 1-0 to make his debut for the seniors.
"He did not want to be the one who lets the lights down in front of a big crowd and that’s the sort of situation that we wanted to put him in.”