There will be a South African coach at the 2026 World Cup outside of the Bafana Bafana camp after the much-travelled Roger de Sa signed up with his long-time collaborator Carlos Queiroz to help Ghana at the finals in the United States, Mexico and Canada.
De Sa will be an assistant coach to the former Bafana Bafana, Real Madrid and Manchester United coach Queiroz, a role he has filled several times before, including at the 2010 and 2022 World Cups.
De Sa, 61, who kept goal for Bafana Bafana and coached Orlando Pirates to the CAF Champions League final in 2013, also worked with Queiroz when Egypt reached the Africa Cup of Nations final in Cameroon in early 2022, losing to Senegal on penalties.
The last two jobs that Queiroz had in charge of Qatar and Oman also saw De Sa serve as assistant coach, and now they will work together with Ghana, who appointed Queiroz as their new coach only months before the World Cup kicks off.
The Black Stars fired coach Otto Addo after losing their two March friendlies to Austria and Germany and, within days, had the 73-year-old Queiroz in place to replace him.
De Sa is a long-trusted confidant of Queiroz, having first worked with him when he served as South Africa coach between 2000 and 2002. De Sa was then the goalkeeping coach. He also helped Queiroz when the latter led Portugal at the 2010 World Cup.
In his own right, De Sa has coached at Wits University, Santos, Pirates, Ajax Cape Town and Platinum Stars, with more than 500 matches in charge in the top flight of South African football.
His playing career included stints at Moroka Swallows and Mamelodi Sundowns, and he won a cap for South Africa in 1993.
Queiroz and De Sa have little time to get ready for the World Cup but have two friendlies before the tournament in North America kicks off.
Ghana will face Mexico in New York on May 22 and Wales in Cardiff on June 2.
At the finals, the Black Stars are in Group L, where they face Croatia, England and Panama.
Source: TRIBALFOOTBALL
