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Bafana's Africa 2012 quest begins

Brad Morgan

2 September 2010

Bafana Bafana's quest to qualify for the 2012 African Nations Cup, which takes place in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea, begins when they take on Niger at the Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit on Saturday night.

Not much is known about the west Africans, as Bafana coach Pitso Mosimane admitted to Sapa: "I am still in the dark about what to expect from Niger," he said, "but it is a win at all costs game for us.

"It would be nice if they came and attacked us, but I expect they will sit back and make us do the running. We are, however, prepared for anything," Mosimane said, adding: "I do not care how we win, as long as we get three points."

Victory vital

The general consensus after the 2010 Fifa World Cup was that the South African national side put up a good showing, despite failing to progress beyond the group stage. They beat France, drew with Mexico, and lost to eventual semi-finalists Uruguay.

Following the completion of the World Cup, coach Carlos Alberto Parreira stepped down and was replaced by Mosimane, his former assistant.

In Mosimane's first game in charge, Bafana beat World Cup quarterfinalists Ghana in a friendly. Expectations of the South African team have risen – as has its Fifa World Ranking, up to 66th from 83rd before the World Cup.

Egypt in the same group

Crucially, South Africa needs to qualify for the 2012 Cup of Nations finals, to continue the good work of the World Cup, and to show progress after missing out on the 2010 Nations Cup in Angola.

Joining South Africa and Niger in Group G are Sierra Leone and defending champions Egypt, who have won the title three times in succession and a record seven times in all.

Sierra Leone is ranked only 137th by Fifa, but they were part of South Africa's qualifying group for Angola 2010 and drew with Bafana before beating them in Freetown.

The presence of the Egyptians in the line-up makes it all the more important that Bafana Bafana pick up maximum points outside of their clashes with the Pharaohs.

The group winners plus the two host countries qualify for the finals. They'll be joined by the three best second-place finishers. With the three-time defending champions in their group, South Africa will understand how vital every goal and every point is.

Bafana squad

Out of the 25 players in the Bafana Bafana squad to face Niger, only Siboniso Gaxa, who recently joined Belgian club Lierse, arrived late for training, so preparations for the contest have been good.

Once again, like during the World Cup, the squad is dominated by locally based players, with 17 coming from the PSL and eight from abroad. And despite speculation that his international career might be over, central defender Aaron Mokoena remains a part of the coach's plans. He turned out against Ghana, and he's in the squad to face Niger.

A good number of players who weren't part of the World Cup squad are members of the squad for Saturday's clash. They include defenders Morgan Gould, Happy Jele, Innocent Mdledle and Keegan Ritchie; midfielders Daylon Claasen, Andile Jali and Daine Klate; and forwards Kermit Erasmus and Sthembiso Ngcobo.

The World Cup squad players that missed out were Shu-Aib Walters, Lance Davids, Kagisho Dikgacoi, Matthew Booth, Lucas Thwala, Siyabonga Nomvethe, and Surprise Moriri.

It's the first small step taken by Mosimane to put his own imprint on Bafana Bafana, and it indicates that he is looking for some younger talent, considering that those omitted include Moriri, who is 30, Nomvethe, who is 32, and Booth, who is 33.

Niger

Niger is ranked 145th in the Fifa world rankings and is regarded as the weakest of the teams in the group.

Their last two internationals were in July against 124th ranked Chad, a match that ended in a goalless draw, and, most recently, on 11 August against Benin, ranked 61st by Fifa, which finished in a 1-1 draw.

Niger has never qualified for the African Nations Cup or the Fifa World Cup.