Sono - returning to club football. (Allsport)

By Dylan Kelly, PA International

Jomo Sono has stepped down as South Africa coach to take up a new role as technical director and return to club football.

The South African Football Association (SAFA) has confirmed that Sono is moving on, but so far there is no firm word on his likely successor.

His assistant Trott Moloto did not even know that his boss was going.

SAFA officials will meet with Sono on Thursday when he will "spell out his vision for a prosperous future for Bafana".

Sono has told the SAFA he plans to return to club management with Cosmos and believes he can still contribute greatly as technical director.

"From there, I can contribute a whole lot more," he said on the association's official website, www.safa.net.

"My club is obviously my first priority and keeping them among the top guns in the league is no small challenge."

The 46-year-old took over from Portuguese coach Carlos Queiroz after South Africa qualified for the just-finished World Cup.

But the 'Bafana Bafana' were eliminated in the first round after losing to Spain, drawing with Paraguay and beating Slovenia.

Sono believes Moloto and South Africa Under-23 coach Ephraim Mashaba should replace him as a joint coaching team.

"Their appointments would make sense," he said.

"Moloto enjoys the respect of the senior players in the squad and Mashaba, on top of having been in charge of the best emerging talent for many years, had a couple of winning stints as caretaker-coach of Bafana.

"Together, they should be more than capable of building a highly-competitive side. We have to avoid appointing coaches who are only interested in boosting their CV's."

However, Moloto did not even know he was losing his boss.

"Mr Sono hasn't told me anything personally so I can't really comment on it," said Moloto.

"I am very happy to carry on as his assistant but it would be very unfortunate if he steps down from his position."

Sono said he had rejected a four-year contract.

He also explained how he will remain in charge until after South Africa's Cosafa Castle Cup quarter-final match against Madagascar in Port Elizabeth on July 21.

"It was never a full-time job. I told everybody that I would stop after the World Cup," he told PA International.

"At the meeting with SAFA, I was offered the full-time job for four years but I have too many commitments to manage the job for that long.

"SAFA pleaded with me to stay for the COSAFA Cup game. I would love to stay and I know the country are behind me but I can't. It would be unfair on my other commitments.

"I recommended Ephraim 'Shakes' Mashaba, who has done well with the Under-23 national team, and Trott Moloto to take over for the COSAFA Cup, but SAFA insisted that I stay till then."