South African Football Association (SAFA) sacked head coach Ted Dumitru after the team's departure from the African Cup of Nations (ACN) round one. "Mr. Dumitru was selected on an interim basis and as of today he is no longer the team's head coach," South African Football Association CEO Raymond Hack was quoted as saying by BBC Sport on Wednesday. The 1996 African Cup champions exited the competition after suffering three consecutive defeats in front of Tunisia, Zambia and Guinea without finding the goal. SAFA will now have to look for a quick replacement for Dumitrue, the second coach to be sacked after Libya let-go of coach Ilija Locarovic, to lead the team in their preparations for the rest of the season. "Safa will conduct an intensive search, whether it be by interviews or head hunting for the next coach, to hopefully take the team further on a long-term basis, Hack added. Meanwhile, Dumitru apologized to the South African public for the team's dismal performance in Africa's most prestigious football competition. "First of all, a big sorry to the nation. To all of you, we failed to meet even the lowest expectations," Dumitru added. On the other hand, the South African players had to be shielded as they made their way through the angry fans by the local police at Johannesburg Airport.
