Andrew Muchineripi Soccer
In a compact, white-walled room with a yellow door, a well-worn greyish carpet and small windows covered by rattling venetian blinds, Bafana Bafana coach Trott Moloto laid bare his soul this week.
It was Tuesday, the temperature had climbed to 30C by midday at the Esselenpark complex north-east of Johannesburg and the topic for discussion was an African Nations Cup clash in Mauritius.
Countries 34 places apart on the rankings of world governing body Fdration Internationale de Football Association meet at the King George V Stadium in the centre of the island on Saturday and Moloto was concerned that expectations were running dangerously high.
“Mauritius qualified for this phase of the qualifying competition by defeating another team, so they are in the group on merit. I am not interested in past results because football changes and so do teams.”
While the world of football is in perpetual motion, Mauritius have been consistently poor at home this decade, with only three Nations Cup victories in 12 appearances, and two of those came against fellow- minnows Seychelles.
Moloto did not dispute that this fact alone made Bafana Bafana overwhelming favourites to maintain their 100% record following a late victory over Angola at FNB Stadium last October.
What really troubled him, he confessed, was that his 18-man squad are avid newspaper readers and could be lulled into a false sense of security, believing all that was required was to turn up and the points would be handed over.
“I watched Mauritius draw in Lesotho last August and they are a fast team who favour a counter- attacking game while no one shrugs his responsibilities. Believe me, if the going gets tough, they get going.”
Moloto lamented the absence of vice- captain John Moeti, dropped from the squad on Monday because he had been suspended by Orlando Pirates for going on “strike” ahead of a league match due to a pay-related dispute with the club.
“There is no substitute for John among the 18 Premier Soccer League clubs. He is a unique footballer and I had to consider two options with my technical staff when replacing him.
“One was to opt for experience and recall someone like Doctor Khumalo, who has been in outstanding form for Kaizer Chiefs, or Alex Bapela from Sundowns.
“The alternative was to take a long- term view, to consider a player who could be groomed and step into the shoes of John Moeti a few years from now. It was a difficult choice which involved much soul-searching.”
The soul-searching involved Moloto, assistant April “Styles” Phumo and goalkeepers coach Deshi Bhaktawer, and the conclusion was that a youth policy should be maintained, meaning a first call-up for Godfrey Sapula.
He is a 25-year-old Jomo Cosmos midfielder who can operate on the right or in the middle, tackles with a sting and is the latest of many Jomo Sono pupils to graduate into the national squad.
Sapula is unlikely to make the starting line-up with Joel Masilela, Thabo Mngomeni, “Shoes” Moshoeu, Quinton Fortune and Bradley Carnell the frontrunners for the five midfield positions, hotly pursued by “Lovers” Mohlala.
There is no reason why beanpole Hans Vonk should not remain as goalkeeper, and defenders Mark Fish, Lucas Radebe and Pierre Issa and strikers Benni McCarthy and Philemon Masinga pick themselves.
South Africa dominated Angola without showing an awful lot of imagination in the attacking third of the pitch, and there were just three minutes left when Shaun Bartlett snatched the only goal.
They performed much better against African champions Egypt to come from behind and win 2-1 through two goals from Benni McCarthy, and they displayed a high level of teamwork.
Preparations for these matches were dogged by unavoidable late arrivals of foreign-based professionals, and players and supporters will feel much happier at the extended time afforded for training ahead of the Mauritius match.
Like all David versus Goliath affairs, much could hinge on the early exchanges with a South African goal inside 20 minutes leading to a settling of nerves and a comfortable victory.
Mauritius are traditionally fast from the starting blocks – they took just five minutes to score when South Africa last visited the island – and nothing raises the morale of outsiders more than breaking the deadlock.
Bafana Bafana have a good Nations Cup record in the region, having beaten Mauritius and Madagascar, and it would rate among the great Nations Cup qualifying sensations if Radebe and company were not to prevail.
The day after the Curepipe clash, Angola host Gabon, needing a victory to get back on track for one of two qualifying places from the group. The 2000 finals are scheduled for Zimbabwe.