After being overlooked for a long time Fani Madida is back in the South African squad for the Four Nations tournament, and after their first two matches the team tops the log
SOCCER: Andrew Muchineripi
RUNNING onto the field against Kenya last weekend in the first game of the Simba Four Nations Cup was a victory in itself for Fani Madida, who in the process gained his 10th cap for his country.
The game was also historic for Madida in that it was at Kings Park Rugby Stadium in 1992 that he made his debut for Bafana Bafana, in the isolation-breaking game against Cameroon on July 7.
Until the announcement of the squad for the tournament was made by national coach Clive Barker, it was accepted by many a football fans in the country that the 29-year-old Turkish- based striker was a spent force as far as playing for South Africa was concerned, especially after the comments he made about Barker in the press a few months before.
He had attacked Barker for not giving a valid reason for not leaving him out, speaking to anyone who would listen and seemingly burying his chances of playing even further. “To me the story of Barker having to wait for a progress report on my performances in Turkey is just a bluff as far as I am concerned,” Madida said at the time.
Madida’s outburst against the coach was more frustration than anything else from a player who believes that he still has what it takes to be in the national team.
“Maybe my style of play does not suit the current coach, but I am the striker that scored the record number of goals in South Africa,” he said. Many, including the man himself, felt that it was because he refused to tour Australia in 1994 that his problems with Barker started. Madida said he was tired after a hectic season in Turkey and was entitled to a rest.
He played his last game for South Africa on October 15 1994, a Nations Cup qualifier against Mauritius, which was won 1-0 by Bafana Bafana via a Phil Masinga goal.
Since then, Madida, who currently plays for Turkish first division club Antalyaspor, seemingly disappeared from the limelight. This is the player who still holds a South African scoring record — in 1991 he scored 34 goals in 42 games for Kaizer Chiefs.
Though a prolific scorer at club level, Madida could never produce the same form at national level. Not possessing the speed of old, Madida these days plays in a midfield striker role, scoring his goals from the deep.
Some time ago when asked if he would ever smoke the peace pipe with Barker, Madida replied, “Well, there is a truth commission in the country now, so anything is possible.”
And judging by the way things turned out for Madida and Barker, there is hope for the country in more ways than one. The fact that Barker has seen fit to choose Madida also shows a maturity on the side of the coach who has acted in the interest of the team, wheras many others would have marginilised the player.
Madida is hoping to return to South Africa in 1998, and end his career in the country of his birth.
* After beating Australia 2-0 on Wednesday night South Africa take on Ghana in Pretoria on Saturday, while Kenya face Australia