Andrew Muchineripi Soccer
It is just as well national soccer coach Trott Moloto is a reserved and very patient man otherwise he might be tempted to dish out a few “southern suburbs kisses” to certain members of the mainstream media.
While this humble member of the Muchineripi clan is certainly not suggesting Bra Trott is a candidate for African Coach of the Year, he is hardly the failure some members of the Fourth Estate would have us believe.
“Moloto must go”, was the war cry in several organs last weekend after Bafana Bafana were beaten 1-0 by Zimbabwe in a friendly to celebrate the inauguration of President Thabo Mbeki.
I wish I had a R10 note for each time I have explained the difference between friendly and competitive matches. World Cup and African Nations Cup matches are for real; friendlies are not.
Friendlies are an opportunity to experiment – either with personnel or tactics – so that when the real matches come round, coaches know which players and systems to use.
Be honest, my brothers and sisters. How many Bafana Bafana friendly results can you remember from even two years ago? I will bet my monthly financial reward from your favourite newspaper that the answer is: not too many.
What all of you will remember is that we defeated Tunisia 2-0 at FNB Stadium through two goals from Mark Williams to lift the African Nations Cup in 1996 at only the second attempt.
What all of you fellow football fans will also remember is that our beloved boys defeated Congo 1-0 at the same ground two years ago to realise the dream of every African nation and qualify for the World Cup.
When former Pietersburg schoolteacher Moloto took charge last October after fiery Frenchman Philippe Troussier left the continent he graced with a mix of magic and madness for 10 years, he had two goals.
The first was to take Bafana Bafana to the 2000 African Nations Cup in Ghana and Nigeria and the second was to emulate Clive Barker and the Class of ’96 by winning the most prized piece of football silverware on the continent.
Whatever his critics might want us to believe, Moloto never looked like failing in his first mission with home victories over Angola and Gabon putting South Africa in the Group Four driving seat.
While I concede that the draw in Mauritius was disappointing, we did not deserve to lose in Gabon and would surely have won in Angola last weekend had all the first-team stars been available rather than exhausted.
Mauritius and Gabon also shared four goals so South Africa completed their six-match programme with 11 points, Gabon 10, Mauritius six and Angola surprisingly propped up the standings with just five.
To those who say it was an easy group, I say rubbish! Gabon have qualified for two of the last three Nations Cup tournaments, and by winning in Luanda Mauritius succeeded where Ghana and Nigeria failed.
Among the group winners, only Zambia (16) and Tunisia (15) finished with more points so I take off my beanie, bow, and say, well done Trott, on becoming the first coach to successfully guide Bafana Bafana through a qualifying series.
With the finals due to kick off only on January 23 it would be premature to speculate whether Moloto can achieve his second goal. Suffice to say that West African teams are going to be extremely formidable in West Africa.
Apart from the very personal nature of some attacks on Moloto, one got the impression from some dispatches that he was not only the coach, but also the goalkeeper, a defender, a midfielder and a striker.
Did Moloto tell Mark Fish not to cover the right side of defence halfway through the first half against Zimbabwe and then deflect a shot that Hans Vonk had covered away from the goalkeeper and into the net? I doubt it.
Did Moloto tell experienced wingbacks Helman Mkhalele and David Nyathi not to make even one quality cross during 90 minutes against our northern neighbours? I doubt it.
Did Moloto tell energetic but inexperienced midfielder Godfrey Sapula to pass the ball to a Zimbabwean each time he should have found one of his team-mates? I doubt it.
Did Moloto tell young right-side defender Aaron Mokoena to fall asleep and give away two goals after Bafana Bafana struck a purple patch in Angola and built a 2-0 advantage? I doubt it.
It was senior Sundowns midfielder Sello “Page” Mahlangu who once wisely stated that players win and lose matches, not coaches. It is about time some members of the media took note and left Moloto alone.
Good luck, Trott, in your quest to keep South Africa at the forefront of African football and I promise to slaughter the plumpest Muchineripi beast should you bring the Nations Cup back from Lagos.