Arsene Wenger is set to visit the country this month to help the South African Football Association (Safa) to improve the standards of the Mzansi game.
Legendary Arsenal boss Wenger heads Fifa’s department of global football development and Safa president Danny Jordaan says he planning to bring the Frenchman to SA to plot the future of the game.
This comes after Wenger’s Fifa report on South African football came to light last August, highlighting a number of shortcomings in the local game.
According to the SABC, the 81-page paper Wenger says Safa need better-qualified staff allround and more full-time staff in the womens’ game.
The three-time Premier League-winning coach also called for more technical collaboration between Safa and the PSL as well as central database on player performance.
He also said it’s important for Bafana Bafana to play against opposition outside of Africa.
Jordaan, who was in Paris for the Fifa The Best Awards earlier this week, says he will engage with Wenger on an eight-year plan to implement these initiatives.
SAFA boss meets FIFA President https://t.co/7WqWxagoF9
He says: “We have engaged Wenger on how to build globally competitive teams,” said Jordaan.
“He made an evaluation of every country and wrote a report about increasing global competitiveness.
“We would like to see how we could increase global competitiveness in South African football.”
Details of Wenger’s proposed trip have not been confirmed yet.
matthew.marcus@inl.co.za