Ntuthuko Maphumulo
All is still not well in South African soccer circles. Although the senior national team beat Mauritius 3-0 in a African Cup of Nations qualifying match, Cape Town has lost the right to stage the Bafana vs Zimbabwe World Cup qualifier because of the row over Newlands residents not wanting soccer fans in their area.
The under-20 national side (Amajita) added to the woes when they were thrashed 4-1 in Ethiopia during the African youth championships. This followed a 0-1 loss to Egypt and a 2-2 draw with Cameroon that was marred by a fist fight between players from the opposing teams in the tunnel after the match. The final match against the hosts was more than the Amajita could handle. They needed psychological help to cope with the shock of the news that supporters had marched on to the pitch in the other match between Cameroon and Egypt. The Ethiopians fans also threw missiles to demand a game, not a practice match. The Confederation of African Football agreed that the Cameroon and Egypt game had been fixed and they declared a rematch, which saw Egypt beat Cameroon 3-1. The Ethiopian win against South Africa brought the whole central African country together, with fans celebrating as if they had already won the tournament. The four teams that made it to the semifinals (and thus to the world youth championships to be held in Argentina) were defending champions Ghana, Ethiopia, Egypt and Angola.
Amajita returned to South Africa on Tuesday evening with red faces after failing to impress at the tournament and also not reaching the semifinals after a lifeline was given to them. Coach Augusto Palacios said: “More development and preparation was needed, especially the physical aspect, and players need to play more in their club teams, which will make them do much better.”
The players need not be too disappointed because most of them will now be moving on to the next level, the under-23 Amaglug-glug squad. South African Football Association CEO Danny Jordaan believes “the quality of players has been strengthened by the African youth tournament.
“Where [under-23 coach] Shakes Mashaba left off last year, he will begin again with a new set of players and with those who still qualify to play for the Amaglug-glug from the previous team that qualified for the Olympics.”
Besides taking his team to Sydney, Mashaba helped the national women’s team, Banyana Banyana, reach a final in the African women’s Nation Cup later last year. Amajita squad manager Sipho Nkumane said: “The next step is to unearth new talent among boys born in 1983 for the Amajita squad who will be competing in the Cosafa Cup in December this year.” The early exit from the Ethiopian tournament means Orlando Pirates will have to cut short their holiday and begin catching up on their missed Premier Soccer League matches.
They are currently the second in the log with a game in hand and they will be glad to have three of their young stars back in the team.
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