With the national team’s impeccable record of buckling under pressure and achieving the contrary when no one seems to care, the stage is set for Bafana Bafana to begin the upcoming 2018 World Cup qualifiers with the rest of the country backing them.
Shakes Mashaba, the Bafana mentor, did not say it in so many words this week, but Friday’s encounter against Mauritania in the final group match for next year’s Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) - a match that comes too late for South Africa to book a spot in Gabon - is a perfect scene-setter to get the road to Russia under way, even if the qualifying campaign only starts in October. Friday's match will be followed by a friendly against Egypt in the Nelson Mandela Challenge four days later, where Mashaba has confirmed he will try out one or two combinations.
The last time out, in June, Bafana thumped hapless Gambia 4-0 in their biggest ever away victory having already accepted that there would be no place for them at the Afcon - so there was no real pressure to deliver. The clash came a year after the two sides had met in their Group M opener in Durban and played to a goalless draw in a match that should have set the tone for the rest of the qualifiers for Mashaba and his men.
Just to jog your memory, Bafana went on to lose away to Mauritania in a humiliating 3-1 defeat and then followed that up with back-to-back draws against Cameroon, results that proved fatal and sealed their fate as one of the sides that will miss out on the Afcon.
Mashaba has spoken about how he is full of regrets, especially with the lack of preparation from his part. But he has a chance to right the wrongs with two matches that can get naysayers on his side again. After all, it was Mashaba who helped Bafana qualify unbeaten for the 2015 edition of the Afcon held in Equatorial Guinea.
“Everybody loves a winner,” the coach said this week.
“One of my favourite records - and I still have it - is sung by Rita Coolidge (1972) and is titled Everybody Loves a Winner”. It is true, nobody likes losers. So what we are saying is that we will try and build up gradually. And what I like is that we are aware of the gradual process. We don’t want to strangle these players, but if they don’t do it now it means the future is bleak for them.”
Mashaba was responding to a question on whether he would be handing debuts to young talent, among them Abbubaker Mobara and Gift Motupa, players who were part of the South African Olympic Games team in Rio earlier this month. But he admits the two matches are about more than just blending experience with youth.
“We all know why we have gathered,” Mashaba said. “A lot of us have termed our game on Friday a friendly match, but there has never been a friendly match when two countries come together. There is a lot at stake and we have to use these games as preparations for the World Cup qualifiers.” - The Star
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