Former Bafana manager Vincent Tseka faces heat over missing R700k receipts and past blunders

Bafana Bafana’s former team manager, Vincent Tseka, has struck again. Safa has ordered him to account for R700,000 intended for the team’s daily sundries during the recent FIFA World Cup after he failed to produce receipts.

Tseka, who is reportedly still working at Safa despite his contract expiring last month, has asked the association to give him until Monday, August 31, to locate the missing receipts.

This is not the first time Tseka has been at the centre of controversy during his tenure as team manager. Below, we look back at his previous blunders.

The Teboho Mokoena yellow card

Bafana needed to win their final World Cup qualifier to secure a spot at the finals in North America. This came after the team was docked three points and handed a 3-0 forfeit loss for fielding an ineligible Teboho Mokoena in their home qualifier against Lesotho.

Tseka, who was responsible for tracking player yellow cards, argued that he missed Mokoena’s suspension because he had left the stadium to get ice for the team and nobody – including the player – had informed him.

Failure to organise Visas

Even with a World Cup spot sealed, Bafana’s departure descended into chaos. The team remained grounded at OR Tambo International Airport because several players and technical staff members lacked the visas required to board their flight to Mexico.

Tseka, whose responsibilities as team manager included handling travel logistics, took the blame. Bafana ultimately required late intervention from external stakeholders, including government officials, to ensure the full squad could travel.

Fight in Liberia

Tseka received a red card during an Afcon qualifier away to Liberia. While supporters argued he was defending the team, the veteran administrator was expected to uphold basic standards of discipline and sportsmanship.

The incident in Monrovia marked the first time Tseka made headlines for the wrong reasons under head coach Hugo Broos – a sign of what was to come.

Failure to book a training venue

In 2022, Hugo Broos arrived at a locked, unbranded Dobsonville Stadium for a scheduled training session ahead of a friendly against Sierra Leone.

It later emerged that Tseka had failed to book the venue in time, causing the squad to lose a crucial day of preparation.

Missing the High Performance Centre booking

Bafana were in high spirits after qualifying for the 2023 Afcon. However, their preparations suffered a major setback when Tseka reportedly failed to book the High Performance Centre (HPC) in Pretoria for their pre-tournament camp.

As a result, the team had to make a last-minute booking at a training facility in Stellenbosch – an adjustment Broos ultimately praised after Bafana went on to secure a third-place finish at the tournament.