Andrew Muchineripi SOCCER
If the South African under-23 side defeat Cameroon in Yaounde on Saturday and Ghana at Vosloorus Stadium next month, cries of siyaya e Sydney will reverberate around our beautiful land.
It is a big if, with the first hurdle particularly difficult, but what a prize lies in wait should we succeed. A place among the 16 finalists at the 2000 Olympic Games football tournament in Australia. After an embarrassing first- round exit from the 1996 qualifying competition in little, strife-torn Burundi, Amaglug-glug have made a much better impression second time round.
The full impact of a narrow victory over Togo in a two-leg eliminator was fully understood only when several of the West Africans sparkled at the recent African Nations Cup.
South Africa began a six-match mini- league programme away to 1992 silver medallists Ghana and drew 2-2. A predictable 3-1 home win over Guinea followed and last weekend Amaglug-glug reached new heights by defeating Cameroon 2-0 before a capacity 25E000 crowd in Vosloorus township.
Amid all the talk of this foreign coach or that foreign coach replacing the apparently doomed Trott Moloto as boss of Bafana Bafana, my thoughts last Saturday centred on Ephraim “Shakes” Mashaba. Essentially a humble man who once defended for Moroka Swallows with legs of iron, Mashaba has not even been mentioned among the many candidates considered potential saviours of the national senior team.
Yet this allegedly ill-equipped coach last weekend masterminded one of the finest performances from a South African team since we returned to international football eight years ago. Big, strong and exceedingly dirty (I can handle the odd nasty tackle but not spitting at the face of an opponent), Cameroon came minus their African Nations Cup stars but had most of the 1999 All-Africa Games-winning team.
But the Amaglug-glug rose magnificently to the occasion with a headed goal from Benni McCarthy and a superb shot from substitute Jabu Pule taking South Africa to the top of the standings, one point ahead of Cameroon.
McCarthy returned to Spanish club Celta Vigo this week after round 496 of the endless club-versus-country drama. This humble member of the Muchineripi clan was surprised at the ease with which our officials gave in.
Manchester United midfielder Quinton Fortune has also been “excused” by South Africa Football Association chief executive Raymond Hack, leading Mashaba to question whether officials were really interested in the Olympics.
Injured Steve Lekoelea is also out due to injury and this may not be a major blow as the Orlando Pirates midfielder was strangely disinterested and ineffective against Cameroon.
Replacement Pule was a revelation when he entered the pitch 12 minutes into the second half and rounded off a performance packed with energy and skill by scoring.
Cameroon coach Jean-Paul Akono said later he wanted to use the 10 members of the African Nations Cup-winning squad eligible for a competition restricted to players born on or after January 1 1977.
They are goalkeeper Daniel Bekono, defenders Timotee Atouba, Innocent Hamga, Lucien Mettomo and Pierre Wome, midfielders Lauren Mayer, Jeremi Njitap and Salomon Olembe and strikers Samuel Eto’o and Joseph-Desire Job. Bekono, Atouba and Hamga play for clubs in Cameroon and seem certain starters, but one wonders how many of the eight playing in Europe will face Amaglug-glug.
Mayer certainly will not be in Yaounde, having skipped the country for Spain despite instructions to remain for a dinner hosted by President Paul Biya. “I had to escape,” he explained. “The president ordered that no player should leave until after the celebrations but I could not wait any longer. I do not have any family there so they can do nothing to me.”
It all sounds a bit like the former Soviet Union rather than a Central African country that embraces democracy. African football has already suffered enough from the detention of the Nations Cup squad in Cte d’Ivoire.
As for the Amaglug-glug: my heart says they can win; my head says Cameroon will be a mite too streetwise in Yaounde and that the busiest person on the field could be the referee.