Over 100 days after the sacking of Shakes Mashaba, Safa has announced that Supersport United coach Stuart Baxter will now take over as head coach for Bafana.

JOHANNESBURG – Supersport United coach Stuart Baxter has been named head coach for Bafana Bafana.

The South African Football Association (Safa) and United have agreed to work together to ensure that the Baxter gets time off post the final league match on 27 May to prepare the national team for the upcoming AFCON match against Nigeria.

The national team has been without a head coach since Shakes Mashaba was sacked in December.

Safa's Dennis Mumble says they are pleased that the matter has finally been settled.

“We are pleased to have finally reached an agreement with Supersport United on the release of Coach Baxter. Safa believes that the coach has the necessary skills to navigate the tough qualification path for the Africa Cup of Nations and the FIFA World Cup.”

Supersport United Chief Executive Officer Stanley Matthews wished Baxter the best of luck for his second term as Bafana Bafana head Coach, but stressed that the focus right now is still on Supersport United retaining the Nedbank Cup and finishing in the Top Four of the League.

“We obviously did not want to lose Stuart as our Coach. He has done a great job in getting us to the competitive level we expect as a Club. However, we also understand that Stuart would like to have a final go at competing at a FIFA World Cup and that would be a fantastic achievement for the country as a whole.”

Bafana take on the Super Eagles on the weekend of 9-11 June in Nigeria.

Baxter will be officially unveiled as the head coach of by Safa President Danny Jordaan upon his return to South Africa from CAF and FIFA commitments.