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The current Shakes Mashaba conundrum calls for swift action from Safa.
The situation cannot be left unattended because it can only deteriorate into an abyss.
In fact, Safa have been watching from a distance with arms akimbo for far too long.
Just for the record, Mashaba is Safa’s employee and whatever he does is in the name of the association.
So when there are reports that mutiny is brewing within the Bafana Bafana changing room, they cannot just wash their hands of the situation.
Bafana are the jewel in South Africa’s (read Safa’s) football crown.
Safa’s initial response to Kamohelo Mokotjo’s outburst was disturbing.
The organisation’s media department said they could not respond to issues raised through social media.
My discomfort stemmed from two angles.
One, Safa is all over social-media platforms and sometimes makes announcements and statements using these. So should we take them seriously now when they disavow the medium?
Two, the player’s raising of this matter, first in a Dutch newspaper and later on Instagram, could mean the communication channels were not very clear.
Just to recap, the FC Twente midfielder said he thought the coach holds some personal grudge against him.
The player then hinted that he might not be available for future selection as long as Mashaba was in charge.
“Am I still available for the national team? I’ll have to think about it,” he said.
And, last Sunday, we learnt that a number of players had directed a scathing attack on Mashaba, questioning his training methods and match tactics.
This is not child’s play. It is a serious allegation that raises serious questions about an individual tasked with guiding the country’s senior men’s football national team to the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) in Gabon and the 2018 Fifa World Cup finals in Russia.
At this point, one must mention that the coach has become his own worst enemy and it is high time Safa showed some leadership and intervened.
Mashaba has been quite vocal, sparing no one in his criticism, including the media and sometimes his own players.
Mokotjo has previously been labelled “heavy” and “sluggish” by the same Mashaba.
Given the initial response on Mokotjo, it was refreshing to hear absent president Danny Jordaan this week saying they would engage with the player and other members of the squad.
That’s the way to go.
But more than that, Safa needs to – if nothing like it exists at the moment – develop a clear structure of communication.
It is not healthy for Mashaba to attack the media at every conference where he announces a team and people do not agree with his selections.
It is also not kosher for players not to know what channels are available to them when they have grievances.
This is the main reason players always run to the media with their complaints.
So this meeting Jordaan is talking about should happen soon – as in yesterday.
In this meeting, Safa should spell out the code of conduct for the coach as well as the players.
Players must be given clear-cut guidelines on where and how to direct their grievances.
The purpose of this meeting should not be a witch-hunt but about reconciliation, rebuilding broken bridges and charting a clear way forward.
I heard Jordaan saying it would be suicidal to replace Mashaba midstream, as he still has two Afcon qualifiers – against Gambia away and Equatorial Guinea at home – coming up.
The draw for the World Cup will also happen in June.
However, I am a great believer in taking remedial action before too much damage is done. That doesn’t mean firing Mashaba – just restoring order.
But that’s me, and unfortunately I am not Safa – which has proven to be quite indecisive on too many occasions.
Follow me on Twitter @Sbu_Mseleku
