Bafana: first 2006, then 2010
Zolile Mtshelwane
17 May 2004
Now that South Africa has won its bid to host the 2010 World Cup, all eyes will be on the performance of the national soccer team, Bafana Bafana, who must qualify for Germany 2006 before they can start building for South Africa 2010.
Bafana qualified for the last two World Cups, no mean feat considering that the country only returned to international soccer in 1990.
The team did not progress beyond the first round of the 2002 World Cup in Korea and Japan, but one win, one draw and a 3-2 thriller against Spain confirmed South Africa's arrival as a force in world football.
New Bafana coach Stuart Baxter, who started his job in April, has the job of guiding the country to qualification for the 2006 spectacle to be hosted by Germany.
Baxter will be in charge of five first-leg qualifying games this year, starting with a match against Cape Verde in Bloemfontein in the Free State on 5 June. His approach and plans - in terms of team
selections and the strategy he employs on the field of play - will become clearer during these games.
Two weeks later, Bafana will be away to Ghana (18 June), the stubborn powerhouse of West African football, who have always run South Africa close. This will be followed by games against Burkina Faso (2 July), the Democratic Republic of Congo (3 September), and Uganda (8 October).
Speaking from Zurich at the weekend, Baxter told the Sunday Times: "Winning the bid underpins the work I have to do to get the team to the 2006 World Cup finals. Now there is the extra dimension of looking to blood young players a little more quickly than before with the 2010 World Cup finals in mind."
It will be interesting to see how Baxter combines the "blooding" of young players in combination with experienced campaigners, both locally and overseas-based, while at the same time delivering results, which is what he will ultimately be judged on.
The issue of overseas-based
players has haunted at least two former Bafana coaches. Frenchman Phillipe Troussier got a lot of flack for "unearthing" overseas-based players unknown to the majority of South African soccer followers, while Shakes Mashaba lost his job on the eve of the 2004 African Cup of Nations because of his refusal to allow some overseas-based stars to arrive in Tunisia later than other team members.
Baxter has conducted two training camps to familiarise himself with the players. At a camp for overseas-based players in London in April, where about 16 players were present, he said he was impressed by the positive attitude shown by the players.
The coach then conducted a two-day camp in South Africa, attended by 18 stars who campaign in the country's Premier Soccer League.
Many of the team members who played in the Afcon tournament in Tunisia in January are unlikely to feature in Baxter's selection in the 2006 qualifying games. The first casualties include midfielder "Shoes"
Moshoeu, goalkeeper Andre Arendse, and striker Patrick Mayo, all of whom were not invited to the local camp.
Baxter is likely to build his 2006 team around the nucleus of Mbulelo Mabizela, Aaron Mokoena, Bradley Carnell, Nasief Morris, Emile Baron, Benni McCarthy, Benedict Vilakazi and Junior Khanye. All, barring McCarthy, could feature in South Africa's 2010 campaign.
The Star reports that Baxter might also call up some of the experienced overseas-based players for the 2006 qualifying campaign. These include Sibusiso Zuma, Hans Vonk, Shaun Bartlett, Mark Fish and Quinton Fortune.
According to The Star, Baxter has held discussions with the overseas-based players and their teams about participating in the 2006 qualifying campaign. Apparently, assurances have been given that the players will be available for selection.
McCarthy and Fortune will be in their 30s in 2010 and, depending on their performance and the conditions of their knees, they could start out on
the bench in six years' time, if they are still active in the game. Zuma, Vonk, Bartlett and Fish might also still be active in 2010, but if so will be past their prime.
Looking ahead, there are a number of youngsters who promise to be part of Bafana Bafana's class of 2010. One is 18-year-old Lebohang Mokoena, Orlando Pirates' hard-working striker.
Mokoena has already represented the country at under-17 and under-20 levels. He has scored crucial goals for his team this season, and helped create others.
Speaking of his chances of playing in the 2010 World Cup, Mokoena told The Star: "I could well be playing in my first World Cup in 2010. I will be far more experienced by then because I'll be in my seventh year as a professional."
Another potential star of 2010 is South African under-12 whizz-kid Kamohelo Mokotjo, who helped South Africa's under-12 team to victory in the Danone World Cup tournament held in France last year.
Ajax Cape Town's 15-year-old
wonder boy Mkhanyiseli Siwahla could also be ready for the bigger stage of the World Cup come 2010.
Other youngsters who might feature for the country in 2010 include 19-year-old Lance Davids, who plays in Germany and made his debut for Bafana against Australia in London in March. Steven Pienaar, who plies his trade in the Netherlands, and Finland-based Ryan Botha, could also feature in six years' time.
First, however, there is the matter of qualifying for Germany 2006 ...
Baxter named an 18-man squad to face Cape Verde in Bloemfontein on 5 June. Almost all the players, except three, play overseas. The three locally-based players are Stanton Fredericks (Kaizer Chiefs), Benson Mhlongo (Wits University), and Orlando Pirates' Benedict Vilakazi.
Baxter has also recalled Mark Fish and Shaun Bartlett, Bafana Bafana's stalwarts who had fallen out of favour with former coach Shakes Mashaba. The fallout had led to the duo, together with Hans Vonk and Benni McCarthy
announcing their retirement from international soccer.
The squad:
Goalkeepers:
Emile Baron, Hans Vonk.
Defenders:
Bradley Carnell, Mark Fish, Aaron Mokoena, Thabang Molefe, Nasief Morris.
Midfielders:
Delron Buckley, Lance Davids, Stanton Fredericks, Elrio van Heerden, Mbulelo Mabizela, Benson Mhlongo, Benedict Vilakazi, Japhet Zwane.
Strikers:
Shaun Bartlett, George Koumantarakis, Siyabonga Nomvete
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