Mission conquer Africa begins

Winning feeling. . . Thabiso Nkoana scored the only goal as SuperSport United stopped Don Bosco in Lubumbashi, DR Congo on Sunday. Well done Matsatsantsa!

JUST when I was thinking to myself how much the South African soccer public, usually obnoxious towards African football, had learnt from the recently ended Africa Cup of Nations, the chairman of SuperSport United gave some hope.

According to a newspaper report, Mr Khulu Sibiya this week gave United coach Gavin Hunt a revised mandate: forget the (local) league, win the CAF Confederation Cup.  Today Hunt and the boys leave for DR Congo for their CAF fixture with Den Bosco.

Before I dwell on their trip, I want to commend Sibiya for making a clean break from the general attitude by South African club bosses. In his statement, Sibiya asks a simple but crucial question: “If we can’t do well in CAF competitions how can we expect to conquer the world?” He has a point: if Hunt wins the domestic league again, for the fourth time in the last six years, it will be another local victory, again. But should the Pretoria team win the Confederation, their prestige and respect in Africa and internationally will be enhanced.

In the past local clubs contrived to send weakened team to CAF competitions, saving their stronger teams for local competition. In many instances their hand was forced by the league authorities, who refused to postpone domestic fixtures to afford clubs in CAF contests enough time to prepare thoroughly for their Africa assignments. Even this week, in my opinion, the SuperSport United away game to Orlando Pirates on Wednesday Feb 13 should have been postponed so that United could focus on their DRC trip, and Pirates on their Champions League fixture on the weekend.

The combined attitude of the clubs, league, media and the fans in South Africa has conspired to weaken the country’s chances on the continent. The media give CAF competitions scant reports, if they are mentioned at all. In December the 2012 Champions League came to a conclusion with Al Ahly and Esperance of Tunis in the final. This is news the soccer public in South Africa must know, to be informed and to appreciate the progress of other countries on the continent.

The winner there, which eventually was Al Ahly of Cairo, was to move on to represent Africa in the Fifa Club World Cup. Now that is something affecting us; we need to know who is representing us, and be up to date with their progress until the end of the world event. But South African media does not think that is important, and that extends to the masses who support the game. The latter swear by their local heroes only, and they are blank if you seek their opinion on TP Mazembe or Sunshine Stars or Wydad Casablanca.

The ignorance in South Africa about the game on the continent is self-inflicted and we are paying a heavy price for it. The bubble we have created so that we can comfortably believe, on our own, that we are the best has burst long time ago but only people like Mr Sibiya see that. Others take our aimless floating in the air as being buoyant and tops! Last week a newspaper reporter described the resumption of the local league after Afcon-enforced break as the restart of the “biggest league in Africa”. Really?

As SuperSport  United travel to DR Congo, to meet little known opposition in Don Bosco, accompanying write ups in South African would often say the SA team is meeting “unknowns”. Unknown to who? Isn’t it a journalist’s duty to research and provide information, to avoid clumsy generilisations like “unknown”. If a club is unknown then how did it reach CAF competition, duh!

 Don Bosco is based in Lubumbashi, Katanga province, just like FC Lupopo and TP Mazembe. Like Mazembe, Bosco is owned by the Katumbi family, whose head, 48-year-old Moise Katumbi Chapwe, owns TP Mazembe. His son, Champion, owns Bosco.

They can afford two clubs because Katumbi, who is also the governor of mineral-rich Katanga, is a wealthy businessman whose interests include shareholding in copper mines. His net worth is estimated at US$60 million.

Bosco is starting new life in DRC’s top flight this year after their promotion from the lower league, from where they won the Congolese cup, which qualified them for the Confed Cup. Like more fancied TP Mazembe, Don Bosco also has a strong Zambian connection in its playing and technical staff, including head coach Fordson Kabole.  It also has three Zimbabweans in Carrington Gomba, who signed in January, and Chris Semekwari and Darryl Nyandoro, who helped Don Bosco gain promotion.

Last weekend they fine-tuned for the SuperSport United game by beating Konkola Blades from Zambia 2-0. That’s the bit about Don Bosco, more on them SuperSport United will find out for themselves at the Kenya Stadium in Lubumbashi on the weekend.

For the record, Orlando Pirates host Djabal from Comoros in the first leg of the preliminary round of the Champions League at Orlando Pirates. Good lucks Bucs and United.

The usual vibe. . . at the Kenya Stadium, Lubumbashi, when TP Mazembe are in action. SuperSport United are scheduled to play here this weekend.