We will resume talks with FFIRI in January: De Sa

Sunday World – JOHANNESBURG, Roger de Sa, who is back in Mzansi from the 2022 Fifa World Cup in Qatar, has a new gig lined up for him.

De Sa, who was assistant coach of Iran where he worked with coach Carlos Queiroz, will be joining the star-studded team of match analysts at SuperSport from Friday. It was the third time the two coaches of Mozambican descent worked together as coach and assistant.

They were in charge of the Portugal national team at the 2010 World Cup held in South Africa, where they mentored top players including Cristiano Ronaldo, Deco, Ricardo Cavarlho and Pepe.

They teamed up again earlier this year when they led Egypt to the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations finals, coaching players like the Liverpool star Mo Salah. They reached the finals but lost the tournament in heartbreaking fashion to Senegal via penalty kicks.

Iran was knocked out of the Qatar World Cup after they finished third in Group B on three points. Wales were the cellar-dwellers after recording a single point.

Iran had a baptism of fire in their opener when they were dismantled 6-2 by England. De Sa and his side then caught Wales, led by Gareth Bale, by surprise with a 2-0 win.

Going into their last group match, they could have qualified for the second round if they were able to defeat the US, but the Americans put paid to their hopes and stood between them and history with a 1-0 victory.

“The World Cup is always a special tournament to be part of,” said the former Orlando Pirates and Bidvest Wits coach upon his return to Mzansi this week.

“I just wish I could coach in each and every World Cup. We went back to Iran for three days and then I came back home. We are not sure about our future with the national team, but we will resume our talks with the federation in January. We hope to continue with the team next year.

“For now, I am here at home in Cape Town to get some rest and then I will go to Johannesburg and do some TV work with SuperSport starting on Friday. After the World Cup, I will go on holiday for the rest of December.”

He explained further: “We [Iran] were drawn in a very difficult group and our players were always going to find it very tough. We also did not have enough time, because some of our players were arriving days before the games started. It was a different World Cup with so many different dynamics compared to other tournaments.

“Our team was made up of mostly local players, but it was an important learning experience for the boys playing against England superstars that they see in the EPL [English Premier League], the stars of the USA and against players such as Gareth Bale. We wanted to make history by qualifying for the knockout stage, but we could not get over the line,” De Sa said.