Beleaguered Stuart Baxter says he is not desperate to continue as coach of Bafana Bafana.
Baxter, who touched down in Johannesburg yesterday from their underwhelming campaign at the Africa Cup of Nations where they were dumped out in the quarters, said he will have no problem leaving his post.
"I have no problem leaving this job, don't confuse me with a coach who is desperate for a job," he said during a highly charged press conference where he had an exchange with journalists who pressed him on a variety of issues relating to the team.
"I am not a desperate coach who says, please don't sack me, please. I turned down a job this week when I was at the Cup of Nations, I turned down a job last week from the Saudis and I turned down jobs in Asia and SA to be with this team."
Asked to rate Bafana's performance at Afcon, an unimpressed Baxter angrily refused to do so. "On rating the team's performance, I am coach and not a schoolmaster. You are asking questions that are loaded with trying to find an angle somewhere.
"To rate my own job, I never do that because that's being pompous and I don't have to do that. If I stay in the job it will be because I think I can do the job properly.
"I have to say without sounding arrogant, that not 1% of my self esteem will come from questions like that, of giving a mark to my performance.
"I do this job because I feel this national team needed direction and I feel that I have given the first stage of that direction."
Baxter, who received support from midfielders Bongani Zungu and Dean Furman to continue as national coach, accused journalists of asking tough questions about his future because they were trying to sell newspapers.
"After a very good, solid Afcon, some of the questions you are asking if I am getting the sack. That is unnecessary and counterproductive. The basic premise of asking negative questions ... it may sell a few newspapers but it is certainly not productive."
"I have worked with the coach for a long time and I know how meticulous he is and how hard he works at the training ground. We have been together for two years, we are disappointed for missing at World Cup but qualified for Afcon. At Afcon we managed to have a tournament against the best on the continent and not enough credit is given to the coach and I can speak for all the boys and we hope he remains," said Furman
Baxter said he will take time off in the coming days to think about whether he wants to continue coaching the team.
"It has been a long campaign. I am looking at myself. I am going back to Sweden for a few days and will look at myself to say if I can take this team forward. If the answer is no, then I will step aside. But if the answer is yes, I will come back and speak to my employers. It is one where everyone has to have a hard look at themselves in the mirror.
"I am not satisfied with the performance at Afcon but satisfied with the progress because people believe in the team," he said, adding that he received messages from Jose Mourinho and Arsene Wenger during the tournament.
Baxter added that South Africans must stop being too critical because it drives coaches away. "That should not chase away coaches who can enhance the national team. You drove away Carlos Queiroz and I don't think we did better after that. You drove me away the first time and I don't think SA football has improved rapidly.
"Even your own people, like Pitso Mosimane, was driven away, back to club football and the national team still had the same problems. If progress is being made, then some things are being done correctly and let's look at those things."
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