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. . .
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