Outspoken former footballer Benson Mhlongo has described the recent changes in Bafana Bafana's technical team for the CHAN qualifiers as 'a big joke'.
SAFA shocked the country on Wednesday when they announced that the squad, initially picked by Hugo Broos' assistant Helman Mkhalele, would now be under the guidance of Molefi Ntseki.
READ: Downs delivery issues ahead of Chiefs
Perhaps the shock stems from the irony about SAFA having sacked Ntseki after he failed to guide the national team to the 2021 AFCON.
The move has drawn criticism.
"Unfortunately, in South African football, we don't want the truth. Morgan Mammila has been fired and retained multiple times by the same team. I resigned from TS Sporting but still went back. That's because there is no truth in our football," says Mhlongo, speaking to KickOff.com.
"Sometimes coaches return because the management tells them: 'No, we made a mistake. We fired you because of our differences, not because of the results'.
"The bottom line is, as coaches in our country, we are simply puppets. That's why you hop from club to club without achieving anything, yet you still get employed. Those who do achieve results are often fired because they stand their ground and are men of principle.
"Men of principles, like us and Dan 'Dance' [Malesela], will likely never get jobs.
"But those who're thinking with their stomachs and are more concerned with pleasing management, rather than focusing on results, always find employment," he adds.
The former Mamelodi Sundowns player says the latter kind of coaches secure jobs because they don't mind being told what to do.
"It's unfortunate that football is not taken seriously in our country.
READ: Nabi's limitations against Sundowns
"Unfortunately, with the national team, you just apply, and if your CV is impressive, you get hired, as long as you have the qualifications. We simply want people we can control.
"When it comes to football, we are not being serious. Me, I would rather be a taxi driver or sell eggs than be someone's puppet.
"The saddest part is seeing grown men reduced to puppets. That's why I am advocating for Lucas Radebe to take over."
Bafana face Egypt in the first leg of the qualifier at the Free State Stadium on Sunday (17:00).