Stuart Baxter came under widespread criticism during his tenure as Bafana Bafana coach when he roped in his son Lee Baxter for the national team.
The Englishman was accused of nepotism for appointing Lee in the absence of Bafana goalkeeper coach Andre Arendse.
Due to personal reasons, Arendse couldn’t make it to the Bafana camp in Durban when the national team was preparing for the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualifier against Libya.
Lee is currently the Kaizer Chiefs goalkeeping coach and his name has again been linked with the senior national team. But Bafana coach Molefi Ntseki has said there’s nothing to the rumour.
“People always pick on certain individuals and they will say this one is for Bafana Bafana. It is the same with players. Remember, I worked with coach Lee when I was with coach Stuart when he joined us in Durban as we prepared for Libya. (Goalkeeper) Coach Andre was not available and then coach Lee, came in. I worked with him at that time,” Ntseki explained.
Since Ntseki took over, Arendse has been part of his technical team.
“Before the team announcement, we visited Kaizer Chiefs in our club visit programme with Dr Thulani Ngwenya. We watched coach Lee’s training sessions. In watching coach Lee’s training session, he is somebody that I know, he is somebody that I keep in touch with. That time coach Andre Arendse was not available for SuperSport United (his club) for personal reasons and everybody was thinking of me taking coach Lee because Andre was not available then for the Sao Tome and Principe camp. Anybody could have come up with the name to say he will be helping me,” he added.
Arendse also served as goalkeeper coach under Baxter. The former Bafana goal-minder works for SuperSport on a permanent basis.
“I think all this came when I was talking about Itumeleng Khune to say I was at their training session, I saw the attitude, I saw the work ethic of coach Lee and his goalkeepers. People will always make something out of whatever they hear and whatever they see happening,” Ntseki elaborated, suggesting that Arendse is still part of his technical team.