Andrew Muchineripi: Soccer
His French accent was thicker than coarse-cut breakfast marmalade, but the message spelt out by new Bafana Bafana coach Philippe Troussier at his first media conference this week was crystal clear.
The White Witchdoctor believed the national team had great potential and would not provide cannon fodder for Group C opponents France (the hosts), Denmark and Saudi Arabia during the World Cup in June.
“I have come here with my personality, my culture, my experience, my vision, my method and my ambition,” Troussier said while dispelling myths that he could not communicate in English.
“I have a great vision because South Africa has a great potential,” he said without explaining what the vision was. He then outlined preparations for the international showpiece.
A couple of camps for local players not lasting more than five days in total would be held next month at unnamed venues and the Frenchman envisaged about 25 hopefuls being called up.
Overseas players would get a chance to impress at a camp in London at the end of April and he, assistant Trott Moloto and manager Augusto Palacios would watch Denmark play in Scotland next Wednesday.
Phase two begins on May 13 with a one-week camp at the end of which Bafana Bafana hope to face Faustino Asprilla, Carlos Valderrama and other Colombian stars in Johannesburg.
The squad then heads for Argentina and a May 25 showdown with the twice world champions, who are considered the best South American prospects in France after defending champions Brazil.
Stuttgart in Germany hosts South Africa from May 28 to June 7 with matches planned against an unspecified local team and fellow finalists Mexico, or Slovakia.
Then it’s off to Vichy in central France and the final stage of preparations for a tournament which looks set to grip South Africa in World Cup fever by mid-June.
Asked about the famous “tried and trusted”, Troussier said players selected by former coaches Clive Barker and Jomo Sono would be considered, offering a lifeline to many who must have feared their international careers were over.
Goalkeeper Andre Arendse, defenders Sizwe Motaung and Neil Tovey, midfielders Doctor Khumalo and Eric Tinkler and Shaun Bartlett were axed from the squad that exceeded expectations by finishing second at the African Nations Cup last month.
Given the disastrous preparations, Sono, assistant Trott Moloto and “spies” Eddie Lewis and Patrick “Ace” Ntsoelengoe deserve the warmest praise and one wonders if it would not have been smarter to retain them en bloc.
That is not to say that South Africa can afford to ignore the talents of Troussier, a largely successful national coach with Cote d’Ivoire, Nigeria and Burkina Faso since 1993.
The true worth of a coach will be revealed when he is given an unsuccessful, dispirited team like that the 42-year-old Frenchman inherited when he took charge of Burkina Faso last October.
Within five months he had transformed a team with home advantage and 22 footballers no one outside Ouagadougou and Bobo-Dioulasso had heard of into Nations Cup semi-finalists.
As Troussier spoke under a cloudy sky on the rolling lawns of a Parktown hotel, he came across as a man who believes in himself, Bafana Bafana and organisation (which could spell trouble for a few disorganised officials). He said it was vital that everyo ne connected with the national squad knew in which direction the good ship Bafana Bafana was sailing and to act accordingly. Sounds simple enough but experience dictates that judgment be reserved.
Asked if three months was sufficient time to build a team capable of doing South Africa proud in France, Troussier glanced at Premier Soccer League chief executive Trevor Phillips and said a coach was never happy.
Phillips, immaculately dressed as always, and his staff have the enormous and so far successful task of completing the Premiership and Bob Save Super Bowl programmes by mid-May so that Troussier can have all the players he requires.
ENDS