The SA Football Association (Safa) has, over the years, come in for quite a bit of stick for the inertia of the domestic game. But since the ushering in of the new administration, under former 2010 World Cup chief executive Danny Jordaan, there has been tangible evidence of progress.
Safa president Jordaan, on stepping into the job, was vocal about a new vision and direction for the sport. His bold words have borne fruit with Bafana Bafana’s qualification for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon), which was achieved with the team not losing a single match.
Jordaan has always emphasised the importance of improving the junior national structures – and here, too, there has been success, with the SA under-17s and under-20s qualifying for the continental championships.
The draw for Afcon 2015 takes place in Malabo, the capital of host country Equatorial Guinea, on December 3.
Despite African champions Nigeria not qualifying, it’s shaping up to be a competitive event, with top countries like Cameroon, Tunisia, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Algeria and Senegal all in fine fettle.
Safa’s other masterstroke was to appoint Shakes Mashaba as Bafana head coach. Hugely experienced from working with many of the country’s talented juniors in Safa’s grassroots structures, Mashaba has been able to look beyond the “big-name” culture so prevalent with previous Bafana coaches. As such, he has tapped into his memory bank of players who have come through the under-17s, under-20s and under-23s and allowed them to now express themselves as senior professionals.
Most importantly, Mashaba has returned the pride in the national jersey and brought back the passion, unity and commitment so long missing from Bafana performances.
Captain Dean Furman attested to the vital role played by Mashaba in the changing fortunes of the squad.
“The coach (Mashaba) has been excellent,” said Furman. “He has instilled pride in the team. It was there for all to see on the pitch against Nigeria. The players were willing to put their heads on the line for the country.
“It’s about fighting for our shirt and trying to win every ball. As a unit, we have a focused squad and all that is because of the coach.”
Both Furman and Mashaba were downhearted at not managing to hold on for the victory against Nigeria, with the west Africans scoring a late goal to snatch a 2-2 draw in Uyo on Wednesday.
While a draw wasn’t enough for Nigeria, and they won’t be among the countries at Afcon 2015 in Equatorial Guinea, it does mean, though, that the monkey is not yet off Bafana’s back. An embarrassing statistic still stands – South Africa has never defeated Nigeria in a World Cup or Afcon match.
“We are disappointed at not winning the game against Nigeria,” said Furman. “It’s the one we wanted. But we have to put it behind us. Now we have to focus on the Afcon next year and there is a lot of work to do.”
Mashaba said: “We lost a bit of shape during the referee’s optional time at the end of the Nigeria game, and our goalkeeper was obscured for the second goal. We were unlucky… as far as I am concerned we should have beaten them at home and away.”
The home fixture at Cape Town Stadium ended in a 0-0 draw.
Mashaba was now looking forward to next year’s Afcon tournament, to be held from January 17 to February 8. And the Bafana coach stressed that they would be competitive.
“We are not going to Afcon next year to make up the numbers,” said Mashaba.
“We are going there to compete and, if people take us for granted, it will be at their peril.” - Cape Argus