Benni back for Bafana Bafana
Brad Morgan
30 August 2007
It has taken 18 months, but Benni McCarthy has finally made himself available to play for Bafana Bafana again. The Blackburn Rovers' striker met with South Africa's coach Carlos Alberto Parreira at the weekend and, after a short and frank discussion, he committed himself to playing for his country.
Parreira has responded by naming McCarthy in his squad for Bafana's crucial last 2008 African Cup of Nations qualifier against Zambia in Cape Town on 9 September. A draw will be enough to see SA through to next year's final in Ghana.
World-class
The addition of a world-class striker – McCarthy netted 17 times in the ultra-competitive English Premier League last season, and 24 times in all competitions for Rovers – is precisely what South Africa needs; creating goal scoring opportunities has not been a problem for the side, but finishing has let it down far too often.
Former Bafana Bafana coach Ted Dumitru, quoted
on the Kickoff Magazine website, said McCarthy's return was long overdue.
The straight-talking Romanian bluntly said South Africa does not have good strikers, which was evident, he added, when Sibusiso Zuma was injured and forced to leave the field in SA's recent 1-0 loss to Scotland in a friendly.
'An asset'
"McCarthy's experience could be an asset to the young strikers in the national team," he told Kickoff.
With 28 goals for Bafana Bafana to his credit, the Blackburn marksman trails South Africa's all-time leading international goal scorer, Shaun Bartlett, by just a single goal. That mark will surely fall to McCarthy soon.
One record he holds that can never be broken is that he was the scorer of South Africa's first ever goal at the Fifa World Cup finals. In came in France, in 1998, when he netted against Denmark in a 1-1 draw.
SA coach Carlos Alberto Parreira, glad to have McCarthy back in the Bafana Bafana fold, said
it was a luxury that South Africa could not afford, to play without the country's best striker.
SA squad
Panathinaikos defender Nasief Morris is back in the 22-man squad for the Zambian match after missing the Scotland game because of injury, but midfielder Elrio van Heerden is still out of action, as is Mamelodi Sundowns' Surprise Moriri.
It is encouraging to note that the squad closely mirrors the one that did duty against Scotland in Pittodrie. It appears that, after evaluating a large number of fringe players in matches and training camps, Parreira has settled on a core of players to fuel South Africa's African Cup of Nations and 2010 World Cup challenge.
Continuity in selection will allow the team to grow together. It's a recipe rugby's Springboks are banking on to carry them to success at the Rugby World Cup in France, with the national selectors having shown loyalty to a seldom-changing squad over the past four years.
The
Bafana squad is made up 11 South African-based and 11 overseas-based players.
Five players are from PSL champions Mamelodi Sundowns, while German club Arminia Bielefeld provides three players. The team, now being managed by former Kaizer Chiefs' coach Ernst Middendorp has made a strong start to the Bundesliga season, causing the traditional German powerhouses to sit up and take notice.
Bafana Bafana squad
Goalkeepers: Rowen Fernandez (Arminia Bielefeld, Germany), Calvin Marlin (Mamelodi Sundowns)
Defenders: Aaron Mokoena (Blackburn Rovers, England), Bradley Carnell (Karlsruhe, Germany), Cyril Nzama (Kaizer Chiefs), Vuyo Mere (Mamelodi Sundowns), Brett Evans (Ajax Cape Town), Benson Mhlongo (Mamelodi Sundowns), Nasief Morris (Panathinaikos, Greece), Bevan Fransman (Moroka Swallows)
Midfielders: MacBeth Sibaya (Rubin Kazan, Russia), Steven Pienaar (Everton, England), Papi Zothwane (Lamontville Golden Arrows), Surprise Moriri (Mamelodi
Sundowns), Siyabonga Nkosi (Arminia Bielefeld, Germany), Benedict Vilakazi (Aalborg BK, Denmark), Teko Modise (Orlando Pirates), Delron Buckley (Borussia Dortmund, Germany), Dillon Sheppard (Mamelodi Sundowns)
Strikers: Benedict McCarthy (Blackburn Rovers, England), Thembinkosi Fanteni (Ajax Cape Town), Siyabonga Nomvete (Aalborg BK, Denmark)
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