Andrew Muchineripi: Soccer
The cheers greeting Bafana Bafana’s qualification for the 1998 World Cup in France have barely faded when South African football finds itself preparing for another international assault.
This time the heroes in black, white, green and gold must take a back seat as Orlando Pirates assume centre stage this weekend when the first African Champions League kicks off.
Known as the Champions Cup since its formation in 1964, the premier continental club competition has undergone a dramatic facelift, including the introduction of R13,5-million in prize money and a round- robin format.
The Buccaneers received R675 000 for reaching the mini-league second phase of the competition, where they have been paired with Raja Casablanca of Morocco, USMA of Algeria and Premiero Agosto of Angola.
Pirates begin a tight, testing schedule on Saturday against the Angolans, who caused a shock in the second round by overwhelming Ivory Coast champions Africa Sports National 6-1 on goal aggregate.
Visits to Algiers, Casablanca and Luanda follow before the 1995 African champions complete their programme with home fixtures against their North African opponents.
Pirates have been seeded by the African Football Confederation to win Group B, and will probably need 12 points to reach the two-leg final, meaning three victories at FNB Stadium and three draws on foreign fields.
The Buccaneers Zambian coach Ronald Mkhandawire and Peruvian manager Augusto Palacios hardly need reminding, though, that seedings are often no more than a genuflection to the past.
USMA and Raja are going to prove formidable opponents, especially in North Africa with a five-year civil war in Algeria only adding to the potential headaches of the South Africans.
Not that Premiero will be a pushover as they hail from a country that provided dogged opposition to Bafana Bafana in the 1996 African Nations Cup before losing to an opportunistic Mark Williams goal. The Angolans made their intentions clear by flying into Johannesburg last weekend and spending several days in the city at their own expense before being accommodated by Pirates.
Training in beautiful spring condtions at the Rand Stadium, they appeared a happy squad whose ambitions were a little loftier than publicly presented by coach Dusan Kondic.
In faltering English, the Yugoslav sang the praises of Pirates, saying he had seen them several times without expanding, and insisted Premiero had come south to gain experience.
When it comes to experience, they are actually far more accustomed to the rigours of Africa than Pirates, having played in the Champions, Cup-winners and CAF Cups for several decades. However, any result other than a victory would be a bitter blow to Pirates, whose managing director Irvin Khoza played a key role in the formation of the Champions League.
While arch-rivals Kaizer Chiefs appear at best lukewarm about participating in Africa, Khoza firmly believes in continental competition, claiming it improves his players and citing Mark Fish and Helman Mkhalele as examples.
Mkhandawire has a strong squad to choose from with Nigerian Williams Okpara probably one of the best club goalkeepers on the continent and Gavin Lane the marshal of a tight defence.
Bafana Bafana members John Moeti and Dumisa Ngobe are key midfielders and up front striker Jerry Sikhosana has much to prove after being dropped for the World Cup clash with Congo.