FRANCE 98 – General Media News Template

Former national team star Jomo Sono has rejected an offer of a job as an assistant with debutants South Africa at the World Cup fionals in France next month.

Sono, who guided Bafana Bafana (The Boys) to second place behind Egypt at the African Nations Cup in Burkina Faso last February as caretaker coach, was asked to fill an unspecified technical committee role. The 43-year-old businessman, Premier Soccer League club owner and coach declined to assist after attending a South African Football Association (SAFA) meeting near Johannesburg.

Sono said World Cup preparations began several months ago under French coach Philippe Troussier and he believed it was now too late for him to assist.

SAFA chief executive Danny Jordaan said: “The matter is now closed. It is regrettable that Sono, who took Bafana Bafana to the Nations Cup final, will not be with us on such an historic occasion.”  Meanwhile, Clive Barker, the largely successful coach of South Africa from April 1994 until he resigned last December, has been linked with 2000 African Nations Cup hosts Zimbabwe.

The coach responsible for Bafana Bafana winning the 1996 African Nations Cup and reaching the World Cup met Zimbabwe Football Association officials in Harare.

“I will be a very happy person if we can strike a deal,”  said Barker, whose resignation from the South African job was triggered by a series of defeats at the 1997 Confederations Cup.

Barker is in line to succeed local Roy Baretto, who made a dream debut last month when Zimbabwe trounced Namibia 5-2 in the Castle Cup Southern Africa championship.

Ted Dumitru, the Romanian coach of new South African champions Sundowns, has been linked with Zambia, who appointed Obby Kapita last month after firing German Burkhard Ziese following a poor African Nations Cup showing.