Bafana Go For Broke
Bafana Bafana coach Carlos Alberto Parreira has revealed a host of new faces will line up against France in Bloemfontein today.
“There will be five changes in the team,” Parreira told the media ahead of what is likely to be Bafana’s swansong at the event.
The home side have nothing to lose and can go for an all out attacking approach now that they are almost certain for an early exit.
A forced change will see Moeneeb Josephs come in for the suspended Itumeleng Khune in goal, while Thanduyise Khuboni is tipped to fulfil the holding midfield role vacated by the suspended Kagisho Dikgacoi.
Further alterations to the side could see Parreira adopt a more attacking approach upfront with Bernard Parker set to partner Katlego Mphela upfront.
Mphela is a fine striker, but he has been left frustrated as the lone marksman and has not had the supply to prove a potent threat thus far.
The closest he came to scoring was when he hit the foot of the post against Mexico in the opening game.
Discarded defender Matthew Booth is tipped to start later today and could replace Bongani Khumalo at the heart of defence.
Star Everton midfielder Steven Pienaar’s place is also not safe after a disappointing last game.
Many have criticised Parreira for playing Pienaar out of position. There is no doubt the braided star prefers a left wide role rather than a central midfield one.
Surprise Moriri could also find himself in the remoulded side ahead of dreadlocked Chiefs winger Reneilwe Letsholonyane.
South Africa were abjectly poor against Uruguay and will now effectively only be playing for pride.
They are mathematically still in contention but will have to hammer France 4-0 and hope that either Mexico or Uruguay win by a big margin in their clash.
A draw for their Group A opponents will see both advance to the next round.
South Africa are set to become the first-ever host nation to crash out of the World Cup in the first round. However, Parreira took a philosophical approach.
“The group was very tough. I think it would be sad. It would be a disappointment but I do not consider it as a failure,” he said.
Post-Uruguay defeat many critics lambasted Bafana for a lack of fighting attitude and rumours have emerged that a rift has developed within the camp, with certain players unhappy with the favouritism of ‘Joburg players.’
While all may not be rosy in the Bafana camp, the French camp has descended into chaos after Nicolas Anelka was sent home. They refused to train one day this week and their football director resigned.
Certain players don’t speak, and many have lost all respect for outgoing coach, Raymond Domenech.
However, when the French cross the white lines they will also be playing for pride.
Their image has been dragged through the mud and a comprehensive win over the hosts could ease some of the agony the once proud football nation is experiencing.
“We know that the French have had long standing problems in their camp, even from before the World Cup but what has happened over the last two days we don’t expect to carry over to the pitch,” said Parreira.
For Bafana, today’s clash will be more of a mental challenge. After the Uruguay game, heads dropped, but the players have been making the right noises ahead of the clash.
While midfielder Teko Modise believes Bafana have the ability to beat France, captain Aaron Mokoena asked the fans for one more big effort from them.
“The fans have been incredible. They’ve been absolutely supportive to the team and that’s what we needed and I hope that today they will come in numbers to give the support we need.”
SI Prediction: France 2 – 1 South Africa.
Kick-off is at 4.pm.
By Grant Shub
Obstacles For The SA Soccer Team
Bafana Bafana
If there is one fact every South African knows, it is that every World Cup host has always made the second round of the tournament.
However, what they may not know is that Bafana Bafana coach Carlos Alberto Parreira has never won a World Cup match when not leading his native Brazil.
So something has got to give when the World Cup kicks off on 11 June.
With 34 days to go before Parreira’s men take on Mexico in the opening match of the long-awaited finals, the 67-year-old Brazilian, who has previously led Kuwait, the UAE and Saudi Arabia at the World Cup, still has plenty to do.
Since first taking charge of South Africa in early 2007, the coach who guided Brazil to1994 World Cup glory has faced numerous obstacles.
The first was improving a side ranked 69th in the world. Given South Africa now lie 90th – below Haiti and Mozambique – it does not seem he has succeeded.
A 3-0 win over Paraguay in early 2008 was highly promising but any progress was stymied by Parreira’s sudden retirement to care for his then cancer-stricken wife. Joel Santana’s subsequent reign, which lasted from April 2008 to October 2009 was much-maligned.
Shortly after Parreira’s return, a World Cup draw that paired the weakest of hosts with three teams in Fifa’s top 20 in Group A – Mexico, Uruguay and France – had Parreira opting for mountaineering analogies. “We’ve been given Mount Everest to climb,” he said. “But to overcome Everest, you need passion and planning.”
The least he probably expected was decent preparation, but even that has proved an uphill task. Despite being named hosts in 2004, Bafana Bafana’s chosen training venue will only be ready in early June while South Africa’s FA (Safa) also switched hotels late
South Africa have also failed to land any quality friendlies in the run-up to the tournament. Parreira had wanted England, Brazil and Argentina, but he received Zimbabwe, Namibia, Paraguay’s B-C side, North Korea and Jamaica – with Bulgaria, Colombia, Thailand and Denmark to come. Far from ideal. But his real headache is goals.
In the 250 or so internationals South Africa have played since their return to the world sporting stage in 1992, following a three-decade ban because of apartheid, they have scored just 1.1 goals per game.
Even during last year’s promising Confederations Cup display, they netted in just two of their five games. Local boy Katlego Mphela, top scorer last season with Mamelodi Sundowns, and Bernard Parker, a bit-part sub for Dutch champions FC Twente, split four goals equally but neither have been troubling defences recently.
“There’s a problem with attacking in South Africa,” Parreira has lamented. “You can’t expect the national coach to make strikers. In the Brazilian team, we did not make Romario and Bebeto, we found them and used them. There aren’t these players in South Africa.”
The dearth of strikers prompted Parreira to recall a player whose international days seemed over, with reporters openly laughing when Siyabonga Nomvethe’s name was read out at a press conference.
But the Moroka Swallows veteran, 32, impressed in last month’s 2-0 win over Jamaica, scoring a smart goal and providing some much-needed glue between midfield and attack with his intelligent runs. The match-winner in South Africa’s only World Cup victory to date, a 1-0 win over Slovenia in Asia eight years ago, could now conceivably lead the line on 11 June alongside likely starter Mphela.
Nomvethe’s rivals are Parker, without a league goal all season, and record scorer – and South Africa’s great hope – Benni McCarthy. But McCarthy is one of several overseas stars to have frustrated Parreira – the West Ham man’s knee injury in February denied an ageing player with fitness problems some much-needed game time.
Having only beaten Jamaica and Zimbabwe this year, South Africa’s disappointing results have to be taken with a dollop of salt given their reliance upon home-based players, with the local league’s standard belying its status as one of the world’s richest.
“The league games here are like table tennis – nobody keeps the ball,” stated Parreira, who has been drilling his local players on shape, fitness and ball possession in recent months.
But even the impending return of the European crew is causing Parreira sleepless nights. With the exception of Everton’s Steven Pienaar, Portsmouth’s Aaron Mokoena and Israel-based left-back Tsepo Masilela, none of the Brazilian’s likely starting XI have been playing regularly in Europe, including Fulham’s Kagiso Dikgacoi and Russia-based MacBeth Sibaya.
Pienaar is South Africa’s most important player by a mile, endlessly prompting with his precision passing, urgency and directness. Whenever he is missing, the team’s creativity diminishes considerably despite wingers Teko Modise, the local superstar, and Siphiwe Tshabalala.
All this must improve if Bafana Bafana are to reach the holy grail of the second round, something they failed to achieve in their previous World Cups in 1998 and 2002.
As he looks up from base camp, there are – Pienaar aside – some things in Parreira’s favour. At least, he is happy with goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune and his defence, even if many fans no longer trust centre-back and captain Mokena. Then there is the fact that the French seem to be in self-destruct mode.
Yet the pragmatic Brazilian coach – heavily criticised following the Selecao’s poor 2006 World Cup – will undoubtedly dwell on the magical X-factor which surrounds any hosts.
When South Africa staged the 1996 Nations Cup, their maiden African appearance, they won it. No one is suggesting a repeat performance this summer, but South Korea’s run to the 2002 semi-finals is an irresistible reminder of the invisible forces that can help a host nation.
Despite his mountainous task, the sophisticated Parreira, who first coached an African side way back in the 1960s when he took charge of Ghana, is very calm. “Never before has a Bafana Bafana coach looked so relaxed,” the local Sunday Times observed this week.
“During the training camp in (Germany), Parreira joined journalists at the bar, bought them a round of Caipirinhas, hung around a little and cracked jokes before disappearing to his room.”
Bringing a bit of Brazil to South Africa – how Bafana Bafana fans hope Parreira can do the same next month.
Courtesy of BBC Sport
HAVE YOUR SAY: Is it negative or just true?
Bafana Players Banned From Telkom Final
Bafana Bafana pose for a picture during the International Friendly match between South Africa and Jamaica on November, 2009.
Bafana Bafana players who have just returned to the country after a month-long training camp in Brazil will not be allowed to take part in the Telkom Knockout final on Saturday.
However, Kaizer Chiefs and Ajax Cape Town have not been informed that they would not be able to use the services of their Bafana players if they so wished for the match at King’s Park stadium this weekend. Chiefs had three players – Itumeleng Khune, Reneilwe Letsholonyane and Siphiwe Tshabalala – at the camp while Ajax had two – Thulani Serero and Lance Davids.
PSL chief executive officer Kjetil Siem told The Times yesterday that the agreement to ban the Bafana players from the cup games was taken by the league’s Board of Directors and SA Football Association before the national team left for Brazil.
“It was done to treat everyone fairly,” said Siem. “The moment you bring up that debate, it is the moment you open up room for unfairness. What if the other team decides not to play their Bafana players, then their opponents have an unfair advantage of having those players in their line-up.”
Siem said it would be unusual for the national team players to be brought back and slot into the first team during a cup competition. “It does not happen in Europe and it makes perfect sense why it should not happen here as well,” he said.
The Bafana players could however make it into the Nedbank cup which kick-off next week, only if they are not selected to take part in the Germany camp this month.
“If they are not selected, we can discuss it as that tournament has not started yet.”
Ajax spokesperson Thabiso Mekuto confirmed that the club was not made aware of the agreement between Safa and the PSL. Ajax coach Foppe de Haan told reporters that he would play Serero and Davids if they were fit enough for the final.
“I would have thought the PSL would have informed the clubs concerned about this situation as all of us are not aware that we can’t use our Bafana players,” said Mekuto. “I don’t think it’s a big blow though as perhaps the players would not mind if those who took the club there finished what they started.”
With thanks to timesonline.co.za
Parreira Names Squad For Brazil
Carlos Alberto Parreira
Bafana Bafana coach Carlos Alberto Parreira announces his 29-man squad for the national team’s camp in Brazil.
The team leaves on Sunday for a specialised training camp, that will see them participate in friendly matches ahead of the World Cup in June.
The players are:
Goalkeepers – Emille Baron, Itumeleng Khune, Moneeb Josephs
Defenders – Matthew Booth, Lucas Thwala, Siyanda Xulu, Siyabonga Sangweni, Siboniso Gaxa, Bongani Khumalo, Innocent Mdledle
Midfielders – Teko Modise, Surprise Moriri, Gert Schalkwyk, Siphiwe Tshabalala, Thanduyise Khuboni, Reneilwe Letsholonyane, Lance Davids, Lebohang Mokoena, Tlou Segolela, Kermit Erasmus, Daine Klate, Andile Jali, Franklin Cale, Daylon Claasens, Thulasizwe Mbunyane, Thabo Nthethe
Strikers - Richard Henyekane, Katlego Mphela, Thulani Serero,
Courtesy of Kick Off
HAVE YOUR SAY: What is your take on the squad?
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