Jarring setbacks for Santana's Bafana "Grand Arrival"

JOHANNESBURG, May 8 (Xinhua) -- It is meant to be a "Grand Arrival" for Bafana Bafana's new Brazilian coach, Joel Santana, on Friday.

Instead, it all turned sour when first SAFA CEO Raymond Hack announced that Santana had been delayed because of work permit technicalities - with the new Bafana coach's farewell game for popular Rio de Janeiro club Flamengo in Brazil on Wednesday at the same time transformed from an anticipated emotional triumph into averitable disaster.

Seeking their first Copa Libertadores title since 1981 when they were crowned World Champions, Flamengo were routed 3-0 by Mexico's America FC at the cavernous Maracana Stadium and eliminated from the competition on a 5-4 aggregate.

But what made it such a bitter pill for Santana and the estimated 40 million supporters that Flamengo reputedly boast in Brazil was that the "Carioca Darlings" had beaten their opponents 4-2 in the away leg in Mexico last week and overall victory after the second-leg at home was considered no more than a formality.

Hack further dampened the situation by revealing that Santana would only be in South Africa after arrangements for his work permit and other technicalities had been sorted out - which could result in a delay of up to 10 days, the South African Press Association reported on Thursday.

And with Bafana due to face Nigeria's formidable "Super Eagles" in an African Nations Cup qualifier in Nigeria in three weeks, 10 days might seem like a lifetime for anxious Safa officials.