The legendary South African striker and now coach is not keen on ditching his current players for the job in charge of the national team
AmaZulu coach Benni McCarthy says he has no intention of turning his back on his current employers, even if offered the position as Bafana Bafana head coach.
Safa is seemingly struggling to find a head coach for the national team and has been stalling on their announcement of the new man in charge.
With little over a month to go before South Africa head into their World Cup qualifiers, the urgency to appoint a new coach is growing each day for Safa.
Former Bafana Bafana striker McCarthy is at the top of many South African fans’ lists, although Safa has not shown any interest in him and is reportedly looking either at a foreign coach or at finding a way to prise Pitso Mosimane away from Al Ahly.
McCarthy’s star, meanwhile, continues to rise with just about each game AmaZulu play and after their 5-1 thrashing of Cape Town City, Usuthu are just one point behind log leaders Mamelodi Sundowns.
McCarthy admitted the Bafana job is tempting but says he’s enjoying his time with AmaZulu too much to quit the Durban club.
“When you do well, when you become successful you get linked to every team, so in my life as a footballer and now as a coach, I have suffered many disappointments, because I followed my heart not my gut,” he said in an interview with Farpost.
“As time went by I learnt that as much as my heart loves something, the gut is what you have to follow. I had one of the biggest disappointments in my life where I could’ve joined Chelsea and I set my heart on it.
“It almost ended up costing me my career, because my heart wanted to be in the biggest club in Europe at the time playing for the best manager at the time and when it didn’t happen it splatted in million pieces,” the former Ajax Amsterdam, Porto, Celta Vigo and Blackburn Rovers striker continued.
“Now as a coach I don’t want to make the same mistake, as much as delicious Bafana sounds and that, but my heart is here at AmaZulu and I’m very happy, I love what I do
“I come in with the biggest smile on my face and when I see my players they give me the same joy I get when my wife sees me.
“So while I have that I’m not hungry and belly is not bigger than my eyes, so I’m very happy where I am and I love what I have so whatever rumours will always be rumours when you do well and when you are successful,” McCarthy concluded.