SOCCER: Andrew Muchineripi
Star defender Mark Fish has been persuaded to make one more appearance for Orlando Pirates, and it could be his most vital yet
AN important occasion was given added significance this week when Mark Fish agreed to don the black and white one last time and play for Orlando Pirates in the Afro-Asian Cup.
The Buccaneers meet South Korean and Asian champions Ilhwa Chunma at FNB Stadium on Saturday afternoon in the first leg of an event first staged 10 years ago.
Fish, whose national popularity after Bafana Bafana lifted the African Nations’ Cup in February must have rivalled that of President Mandela, last played for the African champions at the end of March.
And when the big Feeeeeesh trooped off King’s Park rugby ground in Durban following the drawn BP Top 8 Cup final against QwaQwa Stars, his two-year stay appeared over.
Mop-haired Fish was concerned about being injured ahead of his May 10 departure for Lazio, an Italian Serie A club who forked out $1-million dollars for his signature.
But when the former Pretoria Boys’ High pupil was spotted training with the Buccaneers in midweek, it became obvious that the persuasive powers of team manager Lawrence “Big Bear” Ngubane had worked.
Ngubane reasoned that Fish was not at his devastating best against Brazil in the Nelson Mandela Inauguration Challenge last week due to lack of match practice and should consider facing the Koreans. The “Big Bear” took on a fatherly role as he explained to the brightest jewel in the Pirates crown that he could not afford to arrive in Rome with any rust on his armour.
Ngubane also had an eye on the turnstiles as the farewell appearance of Fish is bound to swell the numbers who will head for Soccer City to bid their favourite soccer son goodbye.
And Fish may prove a crucial addition to the squad with centrehalf Gavin Lane uncomfortable due to a strained stomach muscle and Guy-Roger Nzeng not back from Gabon, where his father died last week.
The South Koreans, who host the return match at the 80 000-seat Olympic Stadium in Seoul on May 18, are likely to prove as formidable as any club Pirates played when winning the African title last year.
Ilhwa is a pharmaceutical company specialising in the export of ginseng and Chunma is Korean for Pegasus (the legendary flying horse from Greek mythology).
Formed only seven years ago, Chunma quickly established themselves among the leading South Korean clubs, finishing fifth, sixth, fifth and second in the national championship before coming first three consecutive times.
They won seven matches and drew one to lift the R225 000 first prize in the Asian Champions’ Cup, a trophy which had eluded the leading power in Asian football for more than a decade.
After convincing victories over teams from Macau and Malaysia, the Koreans finished ahead of clubs from Thailand, Japan and hosts Indonesia in a mini-league to reach the semi- finals.
Moving to Saudi Arabia for the concluding stages, Ilhwa overcame Saipa of Iran through a goal from Kim Kyong-Bum in the dying seconds of extra time.
The decider against hosts Al-Nassr also went to sudden-death extra time and Lee Tae Hong struck the golden goal only four minutes before a penalty shootout would have settled the issue.
Chunma scored 19 goals in the eight-match campaign, which saw them playing at home only twice, with Sin Tae-Yong (four) and Ko Jeong- Woon and Hwang Youn-Suck (three each) the leading scorers.
Forward Ko, a 29-year-old veteran of the 1990 and 1994 World Cup tournaments, is the “big name” among the visiting squad and reportedly earns R520 000 a year apart from lucrative sponsorship deals.
Ilhwa, like many South African clubs, scan the international market for talent and former East Europeans could play key roles against Pirates in a cup which carries considerable prestige but no prize money.
Goalkeeper Valerii Sarytchev and defensive kingpin Gennadi Stepuchkine hail from Russia while forwards Nenad Noncovic and Ljubisa Rancovic are natives of Yugoslavia.
Michael Church, assistant editor of the monthly Asian Football Confederation News magazine, says the South Koreans have an excellent defence and counterattack at blinding speed. Photographs of Ilhwa playing Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia show them defending in great numbers and patience could be a crucial asset for Jerry Skosana and company on Saturday.
l The weekend fare has a distinctly international flavour with Odi Stadium in Mabopane staging second-round African club fixtures involving Pretoria City and Sundowns on Sunday. Sundowns, one of the favourites to win the African Football Confederation (CAF) Cup host Stade Tamponnaise from Reunion at 3pm followed three hours later by City and Notwane of Botswana in the Cup-winners’ Cup.
Tamponnaise must fear the worst as compatriots Saint-Denis and Saint-Louisienne were eliminated from the Champions and Cup-winners cups in the previous round by South African opposition.
City, heavy on cash from generous sponsors Supersport but light on international experience, slammed eight goals past Saint- Louisienne and another favourable draw offers them a good chance of reaching the quarterfinals.
Notwane, who once scored six times in an African tie but still managed to lose on away goals, have created history by becoming the first club from Botswana to reach the second round.
Pick of the Coca-Cola Challenge Cup action on Sunday is the meeting of leaders Vaal Professionals and unpredictable Jomo Cosmos at Zamdela Stadium in Sasolburg.