Fifa club cup begs for attention

The 2014 Fifa Club World Cup currently on in Morocco has received very little to zero coverage in most of Africa, including South Africa.

I don't know about other places on the continent, but as far as South Africa is concerned the media boycott has nothing to do with Morocco's late withdrawal as hosts of the 2015 Africa Cup of Nation. Knowing the attitude of my country's media and the football public at large, this world show on home continent was destined to be a non-starter as was the case last years and the years before. One would have thought that since we were competing with Morocco for the 2013 and 2014 hosting rights, South Africa would take interest to see how we could have done things better, compared with what's transpiring in Morocco right now.

By the look of things, all is going well in Morocco and the games are well supported. The first semifinal on Tuesday, when Real Madrid beat Cruz Azul of Mexico 4-0 in Marrakech, 34,862 fans thronged the stadium. This albeit last-minute change of venue from waterlogged  Prince Moulay Abdellah in Rabat. Other matches have attracted crowds no less than 22 000 in both host cities.

 With this in mind, I think it's a blessing that South Africa lost the bid to the north African state. There was no way the games here would have attracted crowds bigger than 20 000. The reason is that SA is still lagging behind about trends in the international arena; it's even worse when such events are held in Africa. Some blame apartheid but the truth is that the people here just don't care much about developments on home continent.
I know I could be generalising but the truth is that information about what's happening in Africa is easily available now, thanks to internet on mobile phones. On average, South Africans are more concerned about what's happening in America, which explains why artists from the US are coining it here while best African music exports remain largely unknown in the land of Mandela.

Secondly, SA media's coverage of Africa is also not helping as it ignores major, positive developments and highlight disasters. Should anything go wrong during the Fifa tournament in Morocco, like a stand collapsing and injuring fans, it will be news until the end of the week. But conversely very, very few people in SA are aware that Real Madrid are in action in Morocco this week, and that they are the defending champions of the world crown they won in the same African country in 2013.
Maybe what the tournament needed was a group of crazed locals threatening the Real Madrid bus with violence, then South Africans, even sworn football lovers, would have known that one of the world's top football clubs is in Africa right now.

Furthermore, it's indictment on SA's ambition to be top in African football when the fans here had not even heard of the Fifa Club World Cup. A vast majority of SA fans still do not know that the biggest reward for playing and winning the African Champions League  is the ticket to the Fifa Club World Cup. This also explains why in SA the CAF Champions League is held with disdain, when in reality should be the crowning glory for excellence in club football in Africa.

For the record, the final match of the Fifa tournament will take place on Saturday in Marrakech, with Madrid meeting San Lorenzo of Argentina.

   

How clinical Klitschkos ended razzmatzz

Heavyweight kings. . . Wladimir and Vitali Klitschko celebrate another victory.

A fierce left hook ended it in the fifth round. Despite the clinical finish and the thunderous punch, the news went largely unnoticed. The event was heavyworld champion Wladimir Klitschko defending his four championship belts. 

The event took place on Saturday in Hamburg, Germany. And how did the heavyweight title fight end up being a brief in the newspapers, and even crucially, non-event on radio, is quite astonishing. What happened to the days when the heavyweight championship was top billing for weeks ahead of the date, and big news on the fight weekend until the Monday. On Monday November 17, my paper Sowetan did not carry an article on the event. The Times had it as the shortest brief in a column of four briefs. 

So what happened to the biggest slam of not just boxing but world sport as a whole? This is the station that made Muhammad Ali a legend that he is; where would he be had he been the flyweight champion? I don't mean to insult boxers in the lighter divisions, but the heavyweight propelled professional boxing to zenith heights and gave the sport more excitement and better known sportsmen. Imagine names like Joe "Brown Bomber" Louis, Rocky Marciano, George Foreman, Ken Norton, Larry Holmes, Mike Tyson and Evander Hollyfield. The latter was essentially an engineered heavyweight because he wasn't getting any love dominating the junior-heavyweight division. So Hollyfield stepped up and got respect.

There were other fine heavyweights such as Sonny Liston, Earnie Shavers and in latter years Lennox Lewis. And in SA we still believe the likes of Leon Spinks, John Tate and Mike Weavers were the real deal though in honest truth they earned some fame just because they were heavyweights and heavyweight fighting was big news.
Then came the Klitschkos -  Vitali and Wladslaw. The Ukrainian pair emerged on the scene with doctorates, an unconventional amour for heavyweight boxing. Both brothers were born in unusual places because of the work of their military officer father during the days of the Soviet Union. Vitali was born July 19 1971 in Belovodsk, Kyrgyzstan, while Wladimir was born in Semy, Kazakhstan, on March 25, 1976. They also grew up in East Germany as their  father was a military attache there for the USSR. 

Vitali was nicknamed Dr Ironfist for the stranglehold he had on the heavyweight title, which returned the second highest knockout rate (87.23%) after Marciano's 87.76%. He holds a PhD in sports science. Vitali, now retired, is the current mayor of Kiev, Ukraine's capital.
Wladimir, or Dr Steelhammer, also holds a PhD in sports science. The Klitschkos are studious, disciplined and hard working, values perhaps inherited from the high ranking military officer their father was. Their clinical approach, which has yielded a total of mere five losses out of  113 wins, speaks volumes about their ability in the ring. Clearly this is untouchable, and therefore killed off any challenge, hype, vibrancy in the heavyweight division. Moreover, the Ukrainians have taken the title from the US and its hype masters.

For the record, Wladimir's fight on Saturday was against IBF's mandatory challenger Kubrat Pulev from Bulgaria. He was unbeaten in 20 pro fights before he was sledgehammered in the fifth in the World Arena. 
Wladimir Klitschko is now the longest reigning IBF, WBO & IBO heavyweight champion in history with the most title defenses for those organisations. Overall, he is the second longest reigning heavyweight champion of all time with the second most successful career grand total title defenses,  22. 

With a total of 26 world championship fights, he is just one fight behind Joe Louis' tally of 27 title fights. With stats like these, and big personalities the Klitschkos have, heavyweight boxing perhaps is waiting for their era to pass before the rumble and the razzmatazz offered by boxers from the streets returns.

Bafana hobble back to life after tragedy

Handover. . . Black Aces goalkeeper Jackson Mabokgwane, left, seems to be receiving a happy endorsement from late SA and Orlando Pirates goalie Senzo Meyiwa. Both are former national under-20 keepers

Today Bafana Bafana will try to walk the path back to normalcy as coach Shakes Mashaba names his new squad post the death and burial of captain and No1 keeper Senzo Meyiwa. 
Needless to say, all eyes will be focused on the new developments in the two positions Meyiwa had brilliantly held up in the four matches which marked Mashaba's return as national coach. 

The shrewd Mashaba has sprung surprise on his team selection, including the naming of Meyiwa as captain as well as giving then 17 year old Rivaldo Coetzee senior caps. But what has been clear with Mashaba's choices is that he is guided by the players' form and experiences during their time in the South African under-20 team. This is where he has marked himself clearly different from his predecessors, who were hoodwinked by celebrated players in top PSL clubs for their selection.

The results had been disastrous for Pitso Mosimane and Gordon Igesund, as their tried and tested "stars" consistently failed when it mattered the most, mostly so in this year's CHAN tournament. This second tier African championship had provided Igesund with a grand opportunity to select a young squad.

SuperSport United's Rowen Williams is strongly favoured to be recalled. Williams is a former national under-20 keeper, and so is the more senior Darren Keet, who was Meyiwa's deputy. The third goalkeeper is the current Amajita (U20) goalie Dumisani Msibi. But I prefer another former Amajita keeper Jackson Mabokgwane to be called. Apart from enjoying phenomenal form currently, as seen with man of the match showing as his club Mpumalanga Black Aces beat Meyiwa-led Orlando Pirates three weeks ago,

Mabokgwane will add more experience and vigour in the goalkeeping department. He's 26, while Belgium-based Keet is 25. Williams and his SuperSport teammate Msibi are still young at 22 and 19 respectively. So one of them should be considered as the third keeper to the more senior Keet and Mabokgwane. This is the explanation Mashaba advanced when explaining why he had chosen Msibi ahead of Williams in previous assignments. He said two keepers should be ready to play, while the third must be a young player who must be around to learn.

No doubt Meyiwa's choice as Bafana captain was brave and worked like a charm, which further cemented Mashaba's plaudits as a keen reader of the game. This time it appears it will be toss-up between defender Tefu Mashamaite and Dean Furman. Mashamaite is already captain at Chiefs, and is widely respected for his clean image and dedication to the game. The same can be said about Furman, whose dogged presence in the midield and defence has helped carry the new-look Bafana to new heights.

Furman has leadership qualities and also knows a lot about being captain, after he was appointed skipper at Oldham Athletic before joining current club Doncaster Rovers in England. In his youth football days Furman captained Glasgow Rangers' under-19, a quality which Mashaba seems to be enthusiastic about when making his crucial team decisions.

It's a wait and see. . .

In command . . . Dean Furman has proven his leadership qualities in Bafana Bafana.  

Rivaldo fairytale was scripted by Ajax and Shakes

Born winner. . . Rivaldo Coetzee, front, celebrates with his Ajax Cape Town U19 teammates after winning the 2013 Engen KO Challenge. He captained the side

Many a Bafana Bafana fan wars either enthralled or shocked by the ease with which young Rivaldo Coetzee took his place in the Bafana defence. We know that area of the team being the territory of big, tough guys, not laaities. So how did Rivaldo came through with flying colours, aged just 17?

Firstly, the lad comes from Kakamas, a place 90 percent of South Africans will die without having set foot there. The tourism town with a history of poverty is mostly known as the rest spot for travellers heading to the Aughrabies Falls, or the thinly populated west coast of South Africa.
Secondly, Rivaldo has two institutions to thank for his history-making debut for Bafana in Congo last Saturday; these are Ajax Cape Town and Shakes Mashaba.  

Rivaldo was moulded by the respected development structures at Ajax. He got used to winning in an organised environment from an early age, winning several titles with Ajax junior and youth squads. In 2012 Mashaba added his influence over him in the national under-17 squad. Rivaldo and his Ajax teammate Ayabulela Magqwaka proved themselves to be quality material under Mashaba. But they also learnt early to deal with bitter dissapointment as Amajimbos fell 5-3 on aggregate to Ghana (December 2012) in their final qualifier for 2013 Africa Under-17 Championships.

The year 2013 was a big year for the unassuming Coetzee. Far from the attention of the South African media, which normally gives youth soccer scant mentioning, the youngster  was achieving great things ahead of his time. In August of that year he captained the Ajax Cape Town under-19 side as they won record six th Engen KO Challenge title.

Rivaldo not only received the trophy on his behalf of his teammates, he only scooped the defender of the tournament and player of the tournament titles for himself. Needless to say,  he was partnered by Magqwaka in defence. By that the pair and some of their under-17 teammates had graduated to the national under-20 with Mashaba. Ironically, Magqwaka captained his club skipper in the Amajita squad.

In December 2013 the pair strongly led Amajita to victory in the Cosafa championship held in Lesotho. Also in December Rivaldo and Magqwaka were registered for Ajax senior team, to play Premier League soccer!
In between the business of trying to find their footing in the Ajax squad, the pair continued with business of helping SA qualify for Under-20 African championship, under their mentor  Mashaba.  

As fate would have it, that match against Cameroon also happened to be the last for Mashaba as the head coach of Amajita, following his appointment to coach Bafana Bafana, the SA senior team.
Mashaba shook the nation with the unthinkable, selecting both Coetzee and Magqwaka to Bafana Bafana. While Magqwaka is still waiting for his chance at senior level, Coetzee on Saturday made his never scripted debut in Congo! His first senior cap made him the youngest player ever to play for Bafana Bafana, beating the old record by Aaron Mokoena, also a defender.

When he ran onto the astro-turf surface at Pointe-Noire, Coetzee's age was 17 years, 11 months and 26 days old. Mokoena was 18 years, two months and 26 days old when he debuted for SA.
That he never looked out of place in his entire 90 minutes on the field, Coetzee simply endorsed his mentor's approach and philosphy. That it felt like "I've been here before" points to the hard work by the coaches at Ajax development structures, as well as the leadership of Mashaba as team manager.

It has never felt this good in a long, long, long  time to be a Bafana Bafana fan. Thanks to the coach and the lads to finally bury the ghost of Pointe-Noire, and for SA soccer to be mentioned with reverence again on the continent.

Now repeat the sweet victory in Congo by slaying he Red Devils once and for all in Polokwane on Wednesday.  

National colours. . . Rivaldo Coetzee has played for SA at under-17, under-20 and senior level. He still has to make his debut for the Olympic team, the under-23 squad

Time to bury the ghost of Pointe-Noire

South African teams do not like travelling to any of the Congos and Bafana Bafana, the senior national team, has a particular phobia for Pointe-Noire, a port in the smaller Congo. Our team team is heading there today, to face the leaders of Group A in the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers on Saturday.

Back in 1997 SA was still inexperienced in international football, after our readmission five years earlier. On that fateful day, 6 April 1997, Bafana experienced their worst acts of intimidation and open hostility in Pointe-Noire (the Black Cape) when  their players were roughed by Congo players and soldiers on the sidelines. The soldiers also ordered SABC TV crew to switch off, while defender Mark Fish bled from military assault.

Because of that fiasco in 1997 the trip to Pointe-Noire has symbolised a journey into the heart of darkness, despite Bafana Bafana traveling back to Congo three times in subsequent. The SA team won two of those matches and drew one. Horror is not a nice picture to have about fellow Africans. I want to believe a lot has changed in the intervening period  because 1997 was not a good year for Congo and its people. In April of that year the political situation was tense and the government soldiers operated with impunity, like a militia group, with the blessings of a highly paranoid President Pascal Lissouba.

On June 5, Lissouba's forces surrounded the Brazzaville compound of his rival Denis Sassou-Nguesso but the latter ordered his own militia, the Cobras, to resist. The exchange of fire would continue until October when Angola troops invaded Brazzaville in favour of Sassou-Nguesso, who installed himself president and is still in power today.

Bafana are a better team since Shakes Mashaba took over three months ago. Judging by the fearless approach Mashaba and his boys showed in Sudan and against Nigeria, the ghost of Pointe-Noire is ready to be buried. But footballwise, it won't be that easy because the Red Devils are also a different team from the days we used to beat. Winds of change have been blowing in recent for Congo football in recent years, as seen by the competence of its champion club Leopards of Dolisie  in CAF competitions. Dolisie is  a  town 110km north-east of Pointe-Noire, on the N1 linking Brazzaville to Pointe-Noire.

Morever, the Devils boast an increased number of foreign-based players including their inspirational captain Prince Oniangue. The Paris-born midfielder scored in each of Congo first two matches in Group A, as the Red Devils beat Nigeria (3-2) and Sudan 2-0.
Even more significant was the appointing of veteran of African football Claude Le Roy to coach the side. The Frenchman is revered for being a disciplinarian who managed to bring the best out of many national teams on the continent, including DR Congo, Cameroon, Senegal and Ghana.

Congo was  ranked 84th in the world when Leroy took over the reigns in December 2013. A string of victories has improved their position to 48, far above 67th ranked South Africa who are rebuilding after a long-term collapse.

It is now up to Bafana to prove that the rankings can mean nothing by slaying the Devils one more time on Saturday. Beef up boys; turn Pointe-Noire into the most pleasant resort ever!

Atlantic coastline at Pointe-Noire, Congo

Unhappy games as Asia chokes on African muscle

New colours. . . . Femi Seun Ogunode was born in Ondo state, Nigeria, but now runs for Qatar on the Arabian Peninsula 

For the past decade some Asian countries, especially on the Arabian Peninsula, had been beefing up their ranks in athletics with talent from Africa. These countries, more so Qatar, Bahrain and Oman, used the power of the petro-dollar to lure gifted athletics from poor African countries and offered them "a better life" in exchange for these athletes forsaking their nationalities.

Kenya and Ethiopia were the biggest targets, given their well-known talent pools in middle distance running. Though the attitude initially was that Africa will not be crippled by the Arabs' poaching, that notion changed in 2003 when Stephen Cherono left for Qatar. Kenya and Africa were shaken because Cherono was among the brightest prospects to come out of this continent at the time. He had already won the 1999 World Youth Champion in the steeplechase and set a world junior record two years later. In 2002 he won the steeplechase gold at the 2002 Commonwealth Games - all for Kenya.

Then in 2003 Cherono, aged just 20, moved to Qatar and changed his name to  to Saif Saaeed Shaheen. While some reports said he received up to US$1 million to become a Qatari citizen, while others said it was merely for a monthly stiped of $1,000.

The truth is that after Cherono the exodus to Arabia was heightened, much to Africa's irritation. But as seen in the ongoing Asia Games, the irritation is now affecting other Asia countries, as Africans dominate the track. It is no longer a middle distances thing as Nigeria-born  Nigeria-born Femi Seun Ogunode broke the hearts of Chinese and Japanese runners to claim gold for Qatar and the new Asian 100m record in the Games in Korean city of Incheon.

Similarly, Ethiopian-born Maryam Yusuf Jamal was peerless on Monday claiming the women’s 1500m gold, while the Moroccan-born pair of Mohamad Al-Garni and Rashid Ramzi finished one-two in the men’s race. Al-Garni also claimed the 5000m gold in the games. . . all for Qatar.

 “It’s unfair because they are taller and have a longer stride,” men’s 100 metre silver medallist Su Bingtian lamented after the race. “They are more powerful and athletic. Physically we are at a disadvantage.” 

Made in Africa. . .  Gold medalist, Mohamad Al Garni of Qatar (Morocco-born) is flanked by silver medalist Alemu Bekele Gebre of Bahrain (Ethiopia-born), right, and bronze medalist Albert Kibichii Rop of Bahrain (Kenya-born) at the model ceremony for the men's 5000m race in the Asia Games on September 27 in Incheon, South Korea

Japan’s Kei Takase, who finished third in the 100m, talked of the Africans setting the bar  “higher and higher" in what was supposed to be a regional Olympics for Asian athletes.

But even more shocking is the speed with which imported Africans are allowed to compete as Asians. Earlier this year Nigerian-born Oluwakemi Mujidat Adekoya became a Bahraini. A few months later she wins the women’s 400m gold in Asia Games.

As disturbing as it may sound, for both continents, there's a school of thought in Asia that the influx of Africans may not necessarily discourage home-grown talent but encourage it to up their game. But as Su Bingtian of China observes, the African imports with "their longer legs" are an unfair advantage. Maybe yes, maybe no.

However, from the African perspective, we have to look hard at our misuse of resources, lack of support for development and rewards for elite athletes. This is where the rot lies, which  makes our sportsmen and women restless and end up belonging to other continents.

Flying the flag. . . Nigerian-born Oluwakemi Mujidat Adekoya became a citizen of Bahrain a few months before winning the women’s 400m gold in Asia Games

SA's unsung heroes in track and field

At his best. . . Cornel Fredericks has done enough to be a contender for 2014 Sportsman of the Year in South Africa.

There was plenty of good for South African athletics in the international arena this year, even though the overriding picture having been that of a country in recess in this great sport.

The good was the emergence of one-lap hurdler Cornel Fredericks being the man to beat in the world in this discipline, having taken the accolades in all major events this year. Apart from the Commonwealth Games gold, Fredericks also grabbed back-to-back titles in the Moroccan city of Marrakech - in the Africa championships in August and in the IAAF Continental Cup last weekend.

Even though he was the only South African athlete to secure a gold medal in an individual event at the two-day competition in north Africa, several other countrymen and woman raised the flag high.
Sunette Viljoen, simply the first lady of SA track and field, threw another silver-winning  in the javelin, just as she did in the Commonwealth Games crown and the African title he won in the Moroccan city last month.

Long-jumper Zarck Visser emerged as a surprise package, given modest distances and places he had been receiving in the past four years. But his first gold medal at world level last week in the Continenental Cup underscored the age-old matra that practice makes perfect. Before 2014, Visser's best effort internationally was the second place at 2012 African championships in Porto Novo, Benin. He achieved that with a modest jump of just 7.98m, but more hard work produced a world class 8.32m, Visser's personal best so far, at the elite Weltklasse meet in Zurich a year later (29 August 2013).

Then came the glorious 2014, which started with Visser winning his third successive SA title during the national championships at Pilditch, Pretoria. On that day, April 11, his performance was roudly lauded by the media as the best of the day, even though his 8.31m jump was still a little shy of the national mark of 8.50m.

He followed that up with a silver at the Commonwealth Games and gold at the Continetal Cup last week.
At 25 Visser is in his prime as a long-jumper, and so far has shown the attitude and form required to overhaul Khotso Mokoena's record. Even more interesting, the two are now training partners. More remarkable is the unforeseen comeback of Mokoena, albeit in triple jump, his second favourite discipline.

Apart from the gold in Glasgow, and silver in Marrakech, Mokoena grabbed also won the long jump contest in the Diamond League series. All this marked a glorious return from injuries-induced layoff for one of SA's favourite sons in sport. The lanky lad from Heidelberg crowned  a magnificent season last Sunday by smashing his own national triple jump record, a 10cm improvement to 17.35m.
"I'm very pleased with the record. I'm also pleased with a second place and I feel truly blessed," a modest Mokoena said in Marrakech.

This trio - Fredericks, Visser and Mokoena - are already way ahead of their peers as early candidates for the sportsman of the year award, despite very little coverage by the local media of the achievements above.
Last but not least, sprinter Wayde van Niekerk also stepped on the podium in Marrakech, after anchoring the African quartet to gold in the men's 4x400m relay final.

At 22, Van Niekerk, a 200m and 400m specialist, represents the future even though his international career has already begun. This year already he's the SA 400m champion, he set the new national record (44.38 sec) over the same distance, and won silver in both the Commonwealth Games and African championships. Unfortunately, his emergence and that of a few other young athletes in South Africa are a small drop in the ocean for a country which used to be a force to be reckoned with in track and field.

The biggest loss, as witnessed in the Commonwealth Games, is the dearth of talent in South Africa in the middle distances spectrum - 800m, 1500m, 3000m steeplechase, 5000m and 10000m. What makes this picture look bleaker is the absence of any visible plan by the  authorities - from government to the Olympic movement Sascoc - to revive SA's culture of middle distance running.

One can only imagine if such programme was in place, what would have happened for SA in Glasgow and Marrakech. . .

Sadly, the places which used to provide the bulk of running talent in these disciplines are now humstrung by substance abuse, and forbidding social ills which make it hard for girls to even play any sport they wish to play.

Let Bafana revival begin

Brave new world. . . 17-year-old Rivaldo Coetzee is the youngest among several young players new South Africa coach Shakes Mashaba is hoping to rebuild the fortunes of Bafana Bafana 

It's a new brave world for the South African national team after a decade or more of underachieving as new coach Shakes Mashaba begins his new tenure on Friday. 
Playing in Sudan is not the kind of start any new coach with an untested squad would wish for, especially without the benefit of a preparation match in a form of a friendly international. But that's how the game at this level rolls. Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers  is serious business, more so for countries  who wish to be counted among the best football nations.

This is not hard to fathom, if you look at it in these terms: for a country like SA to fail to qualify for the Afcon, then it simply means we have no right to say anything smart about African football. What would qualify us? Before benefiting from hosting the 2013 edition, South Africa had failed to qualify for two consecutive editions - 2010 Angola and 2012 Gabon/Equatorial Guinea. The 2013 tournament marked the changeover  from even numbered years which clashed with World Cup years, to odd numbers; hence 2015 is next on the list.
There's so much hope in Mashaba that he will revive Bafana Bafana. His first squad selection points to the beginning of a new era, something which should have happened under his predecessor Gordon Igesund ahead of the CHAN tournament which South Africa hosted in January this year. In the blog published on February 10, 2014 we asked why Igesund overlooked the success of the national under-20, the obvious base of his future work as Bafana coach? At the time his team had just spectacularly imploded  in the CHAN, which is by many degrees below the Afcon.

In the same blog, headlined "CHAN failure points to SA's lack of development vision", we highlighted Igesund mistake for working without future stars in the form of Ayabulela Magqwaka, 19,Rivaldo Coetzee, 17, the Under-20 kingpins, and some of their teammates.
Mashaba responded in the manner that assured the nation, by calling up the the Ajax Cape Town pair, as well as their junior national teammates such as keeper Dumisani Msibi and midfielder  Nhlakanipho Ntuli.
It is such brevity and foresight that has made Mashaba the most successful coach of the national teams in South Africa. Lest we forget, he had already qualified SA for the 2004 Tunisia Afcon when the SA Football Association fired him weeks ahead of the tournament, just because he refused to yield to his bosses' pressure to select players who were never part of his squad during the qualifiers.

Sudan will provide a formidable challenge to Mashaba and his charges as they start out for 2015 Morocco. But there can never be a lighter challenge in the overall quest for SA football to rise up from the ashes and shine again.
So much weight is being put on the heat factor in Omdurman. But to be successful in Africa, this team will have to overcome the worst there is on their path, including hair-raising rides to places like Congo-Brazzaville later on.

Vasbyt boys, time to rise up and be counted among men.

Memphis shows how far we have fallen

Against all odds. . . Dutch forward Memphis Depay overcame a difficult childhood to shine on world stage.

One of the unlikely stars of the Netherlands squad at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil is without a doubt winger Memphis Depay. He is used sparingly in the Dutch team, usually coming on as a second half substitute. The reason for that is clear: Depay is still being developed for big things in future.

He started playing regularly at his club PSV Eindhoven only from last season. Secondly, he only turned 20 in February this year, so he still needs protected, gradual introduction to the senior national team. And after just eight caps for Oranje, he's doing all-right.

Though the factors above are important to note, it is Depay's childhood which is more crucial to mention. He grew up without a father after his Ghanaian immigrant father left the family following divorce from Memphis' mother. Depay refers to this episode in his life by insisting to be called just Memphis, as seen with his team jerseys, because he finds hard to honour a father who was never there.  

As a result he grew up angry, with total disregard for authority, something youth coaches at Sparta Rotterdam noticed as soon as a 9-year-old Memphis joined the club's junior ranks. Despite the rebellious nature, Sparta coaches stuck out with him until they released him to PSV at the age of 12, in 2006.
His natural skills and strong physique allowed him to progress rapidly through the ranks at PSV, but lack of appreciation for discipline and school work were always lurking. He would threaten to return home after a serious reprimand for his wayward ways. Luckily for him, PSV put up a network of advisers around him, including coach-cum- father figure called Joost Leenders, to assist the young rebel off the pitch.

Through Leenders, Memphis understood the value of discipline, respect and work ethic, gradually developing into a player everyone now sees shining on the word stage in Brazil.
After signing his first professional contract at 16, Depay was promoted to the senior team at PSV Eindhoven the following year.

This story of social challenges affecting young men repeats itself in many parts of the world, and some of the biggest stars in football had to overcome tough neighbourhoods and dysfunctional families to reach the top.
From Cape Town to Polokwane, there are many Memphis cases in South Africa, the most prominent being the tragic story of Jabu Pule (Mahlangu). Pule, who also grew up without his father, also shot to prominence in his teens. But erratic behaviour showed that psychological scars of growing up in poverty were not dealt with properly at junior levesl.

The kind of support Memphis enjoyed from the age of 9 in Dutch academies points to a long journey that we are still to undertake to properly prepare our players to be world class material from an early age.
As things stand, football development in South Africa still battles to step up from its infancy stage. If our players continue to struggle with basics such as trapping and passing the ball, then we are still a long way from setting up structures for psychological therapy at our  academies.
With so many young players shining for best performing teams in this world cup so far, overall Brazil 2014 demonstrates how far behind South Africa has fallen in world football.

Horror story for Africa in Brazil continues

Rare joy. . . Gervinho scored the consolation goal as Ivory Coast lost 2-1 to Colombia on Thursday.

The African teams at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil have had a torrid first round, resulting with one of them, Cameroon, getting knocked out after the second wave of matches in Group A.

A horribly ill-disciplined and disjointed Cameroon lost 4-0 to a determined Croatia on Wednesday night. The central Africans had lost their opening match 1-0 to Japan, which means they are without points or goals ahead of their last match against Brazil on June 23 in Brasilia.

West Africans Ghana and Nigeria also had jittery starts, with Nigeria looking amateurish when drawing 0-0 against outsiders Iran. The Super Eagles have a such to redeem themselves in their remaining two matches. Ghana lost their opener, though their overall showing was far more decent. There's also hope, despite obvious heavy odds against the African teams.

Algeria also lost their opener to tournament's darkhorses Belgium, who came from behind to snatch a late victory from their substitutes. Ivory Coast were the only team from the continent to start with a victory, 2-1 over a determined Japan. Last night the Elephants fell 2-1 to Colombia but their cause to advance out of  Group C was strengthened by Greece and Japan cancelling each other out playing to a 0-0 draw.

Despite the overall poor start by Africa, the five teams which went to Brazil remain the best representation from the continent. I cannot think of another African country which could be said was unlucky not to qualify for Brazil 2014. The shortcomings of the five teams which are there -  including howlers such as Ghana letting in a 32 second goal against the US and Cameroonian players clashing onfield - represent everything that is wrong about African football. These shortcomings range from tactical errors, poor approach and general poor discipline which has kept the progress of African football on hold for many years now.
Africa still has a long way to go to provide meaningful challenge at the world cup.

The appointment of foreign coaches with no known achievement, such as Germany's Volker Finke of Cameroon, is not helping our cause on the continent. But the biggest contribution to change lies with attitude of the players; professionalism cannot be substituted at this level. My wish is that African players dump their crazy hairstyles and adopt a more mean look and approach to the game. I wish our players save their elaborate dance routines after scoring goals to the end of the match. At that time they have every right to celebrate a good outing.

Similarly, the national federations in Africa must start playing ball. The mayhem that preceded Cameroon's departure for Brazil often repeats itself around the continent as national associations' executives play hard ball when it is time to reward the players. You wonder why there are no cash problems when these executives book themselves five star trips to venues of international competition, such as the World Cup or Olympic Games.

Bafana job attracts all-sorts

Oh Jimmy. . . Former Chelsea striker Floyd Hasselbaink has joined a beeline of foreign coaches seeking to score the Bafana Bafana post. The question is does he qualify?

As the serious football nations prepare for the start of the 2014 World Cup on Thursday, we in South Africa continue taking care of the troubles of our national team, Bafana Bafana. This time they have no coach, and applications are streaming into SA Football Association's offices. Safa,  though they have been exposed to be under-qualified for this task, hold the right to choose. So, for the rest of us we can only amuse ourselves with opinions about some of the confirmed applicants.

Pim Verbeek - He's called Pim because he was born Peter Tim (and also Dirk) in Rotterdam, Netherlands. Apart from a largely anonymous stint as a player in the Dutch league, as coach Verbeek has dressed himself in glory largely for being the assistant coach.  Fair enough, he was at the helm when Australia qualified for the 2010 tournament in South Africa. But he stunned by sending the Socceroos in without a striker against Germany, and duly received a 4-0 lashing in their opening match. After absorbing acerbic criticism back home, Verbeek fielded strikers in their next two matches, earning a 1-1 draw with Ghana and defeating Serbia 2-1. They did not advance, though. The 4-0 messed up their goal difference. He's now the youth coach for Morocco's junior teams. Verdict: Not for Bafana

Roberto Carlos - Exciting player to watch during his playing days, for Real Madrid and Brazil. I don't know much about his coaching career but I know his countrymen took advantage of our naivety, pretending to be working while pocketing millions over shot periods. Given his youth, Roberto Carlos will be suitable for the SA U20 team. He's never coached a national team anywhere. Verdic: Not for Bafana
Juan Ramon Lopez - I don't know him - or them. There are two Spanish former players who are now coaches, who go by that name. One has Caro, 51, as the maternal surname, and the other Muniz, 45. Verdict: Not for Bafana

David Moyes - He's good man, can take hardship. But I look at his face, I see sorrow. How is he going to inspire an equaly sorrowful entity called Bafana Bafana. I have so much pity for guys who are ready to suffer, than want to claim glory for themselves. Moyes was mistreated by Manchester United, but he does need Bafana at this stage. Verdict: No

Giovanni Trapattoni - The Italian journeyman is now doing stress-free retirement job in Rome - for the Vatican City national team! Who would have believed it, that there's more to the Vatican than monks and cardinals! At 75, Trapattoni is still sharp all right. But Bafana are a different beast. Verdict: No
Herve Renard - I went shopping for white shirts because of his fashion style. More like PR guru with extreme sports small business on the side, Renard may just be the guy the vainly fashion-conscious SA players want. His passion carried unfancied Zambia to new heights, winning the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations. Verdict: Yes

Vladislav Heric - Long before him we had one Walter Rautmann, football firemen who are prepared to jump into a mess coaches with silky suits would not dare. Heric is supposed to be a folk hero for South Africa's football backwaters. This is where the Serbian-born coach goes to help unfancied clubs with minimal resources to gain promotion to the elite league. Curiously when he had achieved that, he gets dumped, the latest being Chippa United last month. Dogged tenacity is what Heric gives; it is written in his face. With him any no-hoper performs. Verdict: Yes for Bafana (I want to add that he won't be considered because he is not glamorous enough for Safa.)

Ruud Krol - I loved very much when he was with my club Orlando Pirates. He found a team  which no longer knew what it meant to be champion. A former international defender of high repute, the Dutchman first sorted the messy Pirates defence. Once that was sorted, he whipped the attacking players into workhorses. Results, three trophies in one season, including the PSL championship. On the day we, the Buccaneers, were celebrating the championship at Orlando Stadium, a the end of the must-win match against Lamontville Golden Arrows, the decision to fire Krol had already been made. Shucks. Verdict: Yes, Yes

Marcel Desailly - Apart from his role in various organisations for human rights and development, Ghana-born former captain of France is football pundit on TV. He was here in 2010 doing work for ITV. As a coach I never heard a thing about Desailly. Verdict: No

Floyd Hasselbaink - If only Bafana strikers could be as forceful as the former Chelsea forward we would be talking something else now. Well Jimmy Floyd is in his first coaching job, with Antwerp in the Belgian second division since last year. The Suriname-born Dutchman is not doing badly because in his first season Antwerp finished seventh in the league last month. Verdict: No

Dick Advocaat - Nice name, sounds like my favourite fruit avocado. Another Dutchman, albeit with a long, long career with notable successes all over the world, including Russia and UAE. Highly confident personality, with assuring presence and words, the kind of guy you feel you can't lose when fighting alongside him. Verdict: Yes

Reunite Comrades with Youth Day

The ultimate. . . This old man, who dressed up for the race, feels young at heart running the 90km Comrades Marathon. The 2014 edition runs on Sunday

THIS is Comrades Marathon week, as the 2014 edition of the big roadrunning event takes place on Sunday. This fact alone is lost on the imagination of the wider population of the country. Comrades is no longer in the hearts and minds of South Africans, from children to the elderly, as it used to be. Sunday is just three days away and yet the once powerful Comrades spirit is not lingering in the air, and there is hardly any discussion going where people meet, on the radio, social media, nowhere.

In the days gone by the discourse around the favourites and the prestige of the race itself would be reaching fever peak these last days ahead of the big day. What went wrong?
Perhaps the general mood of our society has changed in the past decade that things which used to be held in high esteem do not matter anymore. Could it be that we are now seeking new kinds of inspiration and achievement in different areas and activities? Maybe it's a reflection of dwindling interest in sport, which is highly noticeable in the townships.

However, one factor that is crucial to me was the dissociation of the Comrades Marathon from its previous date, June 16. The two were a perfect combination because Comrades espouses the spirit of youth, while June 16, Youth Day, marked the zenith of youth month celebrations in the month June. While nobody knows much about June 1, there's no escaping June 16 - it is a public holiday! This means the legacy of Comrades Comrades stands a better chance to be preserved through Youth Day.

Moreover, June 16 also needs a national event of international proportions to accentuate its importance, and to drive its central message for the development of the youth, promotion of healthy living and encouraging everyone to set high goals with difficult odds to surmount. In simple terms, June 16 and Comrades Marathon speak the same language, and they say: "Challenge yourself and rise to the occasion."
Nothing beats the sight of a 69-year-old person coming over to cross that finish line, after 10 hours running between Pietermaritzburg and Durban. Now, that is what is meant by the enduring spirit of youth because that woman or man in their late 50s and 60s entering this gruelling but beautiful race, let alone finishing it, they are simply young at heart.

Political agendas came between the Comrades and June 16 ten years ago. It was an ill-advised, emotional decision even at the time to separate the two. Any mistake can be corrected no matter how long it takes to do so. To the powers that be, I say merge the two events again; June 16 and Comrades Marathon just go well together. I can't think of a better combination to celebrate all that is good about the spirit of youth from the South African perspective.

About the race this year, the 90km event on Sunday June 1 will be the "down run", starting outside the Pietermaritzburg City Hall to Kingsmead Stadium in Durban.
To all participants, from professional athletes to social runners, may the force be with you!      

Chase on for Two Oceans' old marks

Since the miracle by Simon Magakwe last weekend when he broke SA's 26-year-old 100m record, a sense of believe has been sparked that similar achievements in South Africa could be realised in roadrunning this weekend.

The targets are the two course records at the 56km Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon, which like the old 100m mark, had been up for grabs since the 1980s. The men's record of 3:03:44 (1988) has stood as stoically as the character of its holder, the late Thompson Magawana, while the women's mark of 3:30:36 (1989) is held by the legendary Frith van der Merwe.

Two Oceans' 2014 edition on Saturday in Cape Town has additional appetiser of R1million for the winners who set the new course records, and Van der Merwe expressed confidence in a statement on Tuesday that her record could go.

She remembers how an incentive of a car spurred her on to a "comfortable" victory 25 years ago.

"The car was enough to motivate me, so the R1-million bonus this year is an incredible incentive," she said.

"It's going to attract very good marathon runners. It will take an athlete with natural speed to break the record."

The lithe Van der Merwe was unstoppable in 1989; two months before the Two Oceans she had smashed the South African standard marathon (42.2km) at the SA Championships in Port Elizabeth.

She has advised that the best chance at her 3:30:36 mark will be if the leading bunch of women can cross the 42km mark on Saturday at 2:30 hour mark or under. Unfortunately there is no South African female runner at this stage who can achieve that feat. The Russians, who have dominated the women's race at the Two Oceans, stand a better chance. Twins Elena and Olesya Nurgalieva (pictured below) are back in the hunt again this year, but their chance to run faster – who will be running again this year – but nobody has come within three minutes of the record.

Last year Zimbabwe’s Tabitha Tsatsa won the women’s race by default, after the first woman over the line, Russian specialist ultramarathoner Natalia Volgina, tested positive for steroids. Last week Tsatsa was also defending champion at the 50km Loskop Marathon in Middelburg but opted out of the race to focus on the more lucrative Two Oceans. 

The race offers R250 000 to winners in both men’s and women’s races.

The men’s winner last year, David Gatebe, is expected to return to the Cape Town a hungry man. He had not been earning income from his work at Impala Platinum following a protracted workers strike in Rustenburg’s platinum mines. 

Speaking on radio earlier this week, Gatebe said the men’s race was open and could go anywhere. He is right. Though SA men remain contenders in this race every year, the winner’s cheque can go to either Lesotho or Zimbabwe or east Africa or another part of the world.

Given prediction for warmer conditions on race day on Saturday in Cape Town, it appears the two-decade old records are safe again this year, despite the alluring R1m incentive. But there’s no stopping the expected intense competition for honours. 

Good luck to all.

SA soccer mentally humstrung by CAF

Destroyer. . . Firmin Ndombe Mubele of AS Vita Club scored the hattrick which ended Kaizer Chiefs run in 2014 CAF Champions League. Mubele starred for DR Congo during the CHAN tournament in SA in January.

The early fall of Kaizer Chiefs and SuperSport United in 2014 CAF competitions served to highlight the shortcomings of South African football in the international arena. Complaints about referees notwithstanding, we just don't know how to prepare for the game at this level. Orlando Pirates had a brave run last year in the Champions League, losing to Al Ahly in the final. But even then, Pirates were not a dominating force but just managing to scrape through mostly on the away goal rule until the Egyptian giants brought it to an end. 

Once again, SA clubs were eliminated early, mostly due to poor preparation. After relatively pleasant trips to Windhoek and Maputo in the earlier rounds of the Championship, Chiefs came unstuck in Kinshasa, losing 0-3 to AS Vita of Congo.
Reports about the first leg game in DRC indicate that Chiefs were the aggressors, while the home team benefited from counter-attack situations. That's not how the visiting team plays the first leg. The visitors should play to minimise harm in the first leg, and then go all out to finish the job at home. As it is, Chiefs comfortably won 2-0 at home but the damage was done in Kinshasa a  week earlier.

As far as the referee issue is concerned, I can only speak about the game I watched, that is the SuperSport United v Etoile du Sahel. The referees were bad and never ceased to amaze and frustrate the small but enthusiastic crowd at Lucas Moripe Stadium last Saturday night. But one thing was clear: the referee and his assistants were bad, not biased. They awarded free kicks and penalties were they never existed, with both penalties on the night going to United's favour.

So United's fall had to do a lot with their approach than the match officials. For starters the Tunisians acclimatised quicker to conditions in the ground, while United struggled the whole first half to contend with the wind speed and dew factor. It was embarrassing to see the home team slip sliding all over the park,  passes and shots at goal going astray because the players did not know much about the wind direction and speed in the hour of kickoff.

And how they conceded four goals boils down to technical inefficiencies of the defence, which was continuously forced to play backpasses to the keeper. One of these resulted in United chief tormentor, 21-year-old Malian striker Michailou Drame, stealing the ball and rounding off poorly protected Ronwen Williams. The less said about other defensive howlers the better.

The final straw for me was when Mame Niang missed from the spot kick in the 85th minute. Until that minute Niang had the worst game of the season, with the fans screaming for his replacement. For him to be given the penalty lent itself to poor decision-making because the gangly Senegalese was mentally out of it, and so was his co-striker Bradley Grobler. 

General lack of hunger by SuperSport United at their home ground and Chiefs' players talking about their Kinshasa game a week earlier as if their destination was Lubumbashi, a good 2 000km away the DRC capital, does not help our cause at all. I mean, how do you win a battle when you don't know the location of the battle field?

Once again, SA teams come short in CAF club competitions not because they are worse off materially, but because mentally they are not up to it. This CAF season Chiefs at least have another chance to correct their errors in the Confederation Cup, where they were relegated after the loss to Vita. They've been drawn against West Africa's powerhouse, ASEC Mimosas of Abidjan, Ivory Coast, later this month.     

Chan failure points to SA's lack of development vision

The future. . . Ayabulela Magqwaka, the captain of the SA under-20 team. Why was he not considered for Chan?

I suspect even the Safa executive does not know him, but that's how clumsy South Africa has been with football development. His name is Ayabulela Magqwaka. In case you are wondering what's special about this name, he's the national captain for the under-20 team.

So what? He led from the front in Lesotho where his team won the Cosafa Youth Cup, beating Kenya 2-0 in the final. Kenya was playing as an invited guest to strengthen the competition. Magqwaka scored one of the goals in the event which took place in December.
Subsequent to his exploits in Maseru, a week later his team Ajax Cape Town offered him a contract which promoted him from the team's under-19 squad to the senior team. He was signed with his national teammate, Rivaldo Coetzee, with whom he won various youth titles playing with the Ajax Cape Town Youth Academy.

Magqwaka has had a well paved out route in his development as a footballer, after joining the Ajax Academy at the age of 11. His accolades include the Engen Knockout Challenge title (three times), the Metropolitan Premier Cup title (three times) and the prestigious 2013 Copa Amsterdam.
Morever, he has had a brilliant under-17 career as well, despite limited game time that team enjoyed in his time in that age category. What is even significant, in my book, is that in December 2012 Ayabulela and the U17 team travelled to Ghana for an Africa Junior  Championship qualifier at Essipong Stadium in Sekondi.

Ghana is important because it represents all that is good about soccer development in Africa. Ghana is always up there as far as global youth tournaments are concerned, and we saw how its young, inexperienced side carried itself in the recent Chan tournament in SA. It is ironic that they were stopped by Libya, another nation which showed faith in its youth to rebuild its fortunes.

Isn't strange that up to this stage, SA has not sought to forge a working relationship with Ghana, in order to learn from that country how to set up and manage successful development structures? Such a deal should include a technical exchange of personalities in youth coaching and training fields, so that when South Africans learn in Ghana, while the Ghanaians will come here to point out the good and the bad about our work in soccer development.

Needless to say, SA lost the opportunity to walk the same path, opting to send an overly matured squad into the tournament when a team with a fresh victory was available. Sending the under-20 team which won the Cosafa tournament would have done the national team a world of good. Had those youngsters failed to progress beyond round one, then we would have known that at least the future holds so much in promise.

Ayabulela and his teammates should not have watched Chan from afar when their peers from all over the continent were enjoying the run on the park, right here in our backyard. Even more worrisome is that the coach of the senior team, Gordon Igesund, does not seem to be having any working relationship with the Under20 coach, Ephraim Mashaba. Mashaba is an accomplished coach with plenty of experience, and therefore a very important conduit between the senior team and development ranks.

The good thing about the U17 squad which went to Ghana is that it was coached by Mashaba, who is now taking care of the same boys at under-20 level.
Now given this clear path of progress, why Igesund did not work with Mashaba and some of his boys in the Chan? I know it is too late for this question but it needs to be asked in order to fix things going forward.
Whether Igesund stays or goes, the coach of Bafana Bafana must work with Mashaba or whoever is the coach of the under-20 side. Otherwise how do we know about upcoming talent when the national youth coach is not part of the set-up at senior level?

I will conclude by paying tribute to Ayabulela Magqwaka and his U20 teammates once again. I want to say in a normal environment their progress would be lauded and guarded by their national federation. Unfortunately, in South Africa such basics in football development are not taken into consideration in a neverending pursuit of shortcuts and reason to party.

In the mix. . . SA under-17 and under-20 international Rivaldo Coetzee
For the record Siyanda Ngubo of Malaga FC scored the second goal in the 2-0 victory against Kenya in Lesotho.
Here is the rest of the team which featured in the final match of 2013 Cosafa Youth Cup: Dumisani Msibi (gk, Supersport United), Madisha Motjeka (Mamelodi Sundowns), Ayabulela Magqwaka, Rivaldo Coetzee (both Ajax CT), Pule Maraisane (Stars of Africa), Siyanda Ngubo (Malaga), Nhlakanipho Ntuli (Orlando Pirates), Fagrie Lakay (Santos), Tlotlo Leepile (Stars of Africa), Tebogo Moerane (Orlando Pirates), Siphelele Luthuli (University of Pretoria).

The enigma of Mayweather visit

Ever since Floyd Mayweather's trip here was announced by the South African Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula I have been wondering about the purpose of the controversial boxing champion Floyd Mayweather's visit. Well, I am not in the dark anymore because "Money" has said it himself: "I don't know why I'm here but it's good to be in Africa."

Of course it's good to be in Africa, despite all the troubles the continent experiences and you got to love Mayweather for his honesty in this instance. Mbalula has brought to the sport minsitry, which for a long time had been stagnanted by his predecessors. However, the trouble with "Fiks" are two main distractions to his mission:  his love of the party and obsession of for US celebrities.

If Mayweather is here to inspire somebody - youth or boxers - then he does not come fully equipped for that task. This was seen by his late arrival at the Dube Boxing Club in Soweto today. He visibly thrilled by the vociferous welcome he got from the excited youngsters who had packed the little venue. He reciprocated with a stale address, but then motivational talk is not his game.

He is billed to conduct motivational talks in different parts of the country during his week-long tour. Perhaps he will get the catch of the game for such events because back home Mayweather is known more for self-promotion than community projects. In 2011 he was senteneced to 40 days of community service for delaying giving a sworn evidence in court under false pretences. He said he needed more time to recover from injuries,  only to be captured partying on the scheduled day for the deposition.

So far he is lucky no one has asked him about his 2012 conviction for battery, after he beat up his ex-girlfriend in front of their children. In a country like South Africa where abuse of women and children is rampant, visiting personalities with such reputations should be viewed with some level of reservation.

Mayweather has done well for himself to be where he is as an international sport icon. Only hard work and dedication can keep an athlete at the top of his game for so long. This means therefore the man does have admirable qualities that should inspire masses without him even uttering a word.

Welcome to motherland indeed, Floyd. Here's hoping this visit will help reconstruct your perspective towards life, as much as you wish to help reshape the lives of the youngsters you are supposed to inspire with your visit here.

Knowledge is key for Bafana

Man to watch. . . Abdoulaye Sissoko, left, shows why he's the man to mark when Mali meet South Africa today.

Sidibe, Traore, Sissoko, Diarra, Coulibaly. . . these are the names any Mali football team is likely to have. Mali players are characteristically lanky and muscular. They play in a semi-professional league which is largely based in the capital Bamako, with very little organised football in far-flung regions of the massive country. Given this usual background about Mali football, what's there to fear for South Africa ahead of their Chan 2014 fixture this evening?

Well, Mali beat Nigeria 2-1 in their opening match, and their tactical aptitude and aggressive approach were a delight to watch in that match. Does this now mean restless time for Bafana Bafana? It should not be. Mali is not Bafana's problem, self-doubt is what limits the host team.

Fair enough, it was Mali which kicked South Africa out of the Afcon 2013, at the quarterfinals. Ironically, SA is he host again and today it needs victory over Mali to advance to the quarterfinals of Chan early. Bafana are under pressure to do well, not only because they are host but also that this tournament is played by home-based players. This means SA must defend the reputation which came from the self-promotion by its league, the PSL, as the best league on the continent.

Gordon Igesund and his team are therefore facing additional challenge over a frivolous matter. Just because we are rich does not mean we are the best. And if I am wrong about this, well, Chan is here. Let's take the damn thing and then gloat about being the best league in Africa, if that is such an important thing.
Mali looked good against Nigeria but today is a new ball game - 11 against 11 from the first whistle.

Bafana must use their strengths to the best of their ability, these being speed and darting moves to ward off the physical advantage of the Malians. I don't see why Bafana must feel the pressure; their mission for a positive result is achievable if they focus on the job at hand and forget silly antics.

Above all, knowledge is power. Bafana must have learnt everything there is to know about their opponent: watch Abdoulaye Sissoko upfront and find way past Ousmane Keita and Mahamadou Traore in defence. If panic sets in during the match it will be of their (Bafana) own doing, not because of any outside force.