ANC Youth League president Julius Malema called for the appointment of a local coach for Bafana Bafana on Tuesday, saying Lucas Radebe was his first choice.

"We told the president of Safa [SA Football Association] Santana must go," said Malema, referring to the departure of Joel Santana as national coach, eight months before the 2010 Soccer World Cup.

"[We told Safa], what you must do as new leadership, you must take a major decision by firing this man."

But the African National Congress Youth League did not want Brazilian Carlos Parreira to return to the position he vacated last year because his wife was seriously ill. He has been widely tipped to be making a come-back.

"If Parreira comes back, it would be a setback because we have won with our local coaches, we have not won anything with these foreign coaches. And we have made that point clear to Safa," Malema told reporters in Johannesburg.

Even if Bafana Bafana lost under a local coach, it would at least be in a "dignified way", said Malema.

Asked if he had anyone in mind, Malema replied: "We can build a solid team with Lucas Radebe as coach. Lucas expresses himself very clearly and independently. He's not a stooge or tool of any individual in the football fraternity and that makes them very uncomfortable with this boy."

Malema made it very clear that he did not want any "old" local coaches either.

"Why would we want to be coached by Shakes Mashaba, Jomo Sono or Clive Barker? They're old. Let's give the new ones an opportunity to emerge. The old must allow the new to be born... and to rise in football."

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