Andrew Muchineripi : Soccer
When the “spin doctors” sent by the British Labour government to promote parliamentary democracy have completed their work, perhaps they could drop in at South African Football Association (Safa) headquarters on the outskirts of Soweto.
The national association has had image problems for longer than my mind can recall and much of the media hostility towards Bafana Bafana coach Clive Barker is due to the interpretation of words like “youngsters” and “experiment”.
These “spin doctors” (there is no truth in the rumour that they are coached by Louis “Sprinter” Tshakoane of Kaizer Chiefs fame) really do work and if Safa has any doubts perhaps they should phone a certain Mr John Major. I would imagine these good doctors, who can put enough “spin”on a story to make Pat Symcox weep, would begin by telling Molefi Oliphant, Danny Jordaan and company that a united front is imperative. Let us take Bafana Bafana as an example and pose the question: why is a national team which is achieving relatively good results receiving critical comment from such diverse sections of the media as Sowetan, Saturday Star and Kickoff magazine?
The answer probably lies in the widely-held belief that Barker has betrayed his promise to blood youngsters alongside the “tried and trusted” or the “tired and trusted” depending on which sports pages you prefer. If radio phone-ins and the Sowetan sports letters page are accurate gauges of public opinion, the Barker statements were interpreted as testing players who had not appeared in the national squad before.
The squad to face Germany on November 15 in Dusseldorf clearly offered such an opportunity as Rothmans Cup semi-final commitments ruled out the leading lights from Kaizer Chiefs, Manning Rangers, Orlando Pirates and Sundowns.
With Sizwe Motaung and Neil Tovey unavailable, Bafana Bafana had only captain Lucas Radebe and Mark Fish, recovered from an injury that ruled him out of the visit to France, available from the first-choice back four.
Given the preference of the national coach for the “tried and trusted”, mid-year discard David Nyathi was always likely to be recalled and Barker has never hidden the fact that he is a card-carrying member of the Pierre Issa fan club.
Reports from France indicate that Issa has not played first-team football for Olympique Marseilles this season, which is a little disturbing to say the least, but judgment must be reserved until he has worn the black, white, green and gold.
That leaves Bafana Bafana with a “tried and (almost) trusted” back four of Radebe, Fish, Nyathi and Issa, except that there is no natural right-sided defender should Germany opt for a left wingback or wide striker.
And what have we got in reserve? Recalled Edries Burton of Amazulu and unknown Frank Schoeman of Bush Bucks, who are deployed by their clubs on the left side of defence.
The case of Burton is interesting. Called up for the 1996 Simba Four Nations Cup, he played against Kenya in the opening round without setting King’s Park on fire and has not been seen in national colours since. One month short of his 29th birthday, Burton is no spring chicken and it is here that the worlds of Clive Barker and many Bafana Bafana supporters collide.
Barker plumped for a footballer probably past his peak instead of opting for young talent.
What about Papi Khomane of Jomo Cosmos, Ashley Makhanya of Wits University, Naughty Mokoena of Amazulu or Cyril Nzama of Bucks? Burton will never be a Bafana regular; some of the above quartet could be. While no fan will quarrel with the selection of Thabo Mngomeni from Castle Premiership pacesetters Bucks, how sad that the man with the “pineapple” hairstyle has celebrated his 28th birthday.
More encouraging news from midfield is that Jabu Mnguni, an excellent passer of the ball from Vaal Professionals, is a tender 21 while at 23, Turkish-based Alfred Phiri could be another name for the future.
Age, of course, should not be the sole criterion. Remember the havoc 38-year-old Roger Milla from Cameroon wreaked at the 1990 World Cup finals? But given the choice between a Burton and a younger player of equal ability, it makes long-term sense to choose the latter.
However, the bottom line is that Barker has proved a successful coach and obviously believes his selections are correct. The team may “belong” to the nation, but it is an accepted worldwide practice that one person picks it.
While Barker is scoring on the field, he is failing miserably off it with one critical journalist claiming on national radio last week that the coach had threatened him over the telephone because of a French match review he disliked.
This is South Africa, bra Clive, not North Korea. While there were undoubted success stories from Lens, including Willem Jackson, Philemon Masinga and John Moeti, there were also failures, notably Shoes Moshoeu, Helman Mkhalele and Sizwe Motaung.
To present a balanced picture is not being unpatriotic, sensational or destructive as some Safa personnel and their “agents” would have us believe. Millions watched the broadcast from France live and no amount of journalistic “spin doctoring” is going to alter their opinions.
ENDS