Andrew Muchineripi Soccer
When assessing the chances of a national soccer team, a conflict often develops between the head and the heart. Should scribes be patriotic or should they be honest. At the grave risk of having my trousers ripped by barbed wire while sitting on the fence, I want to express my fullest support for Amaglug-glug as they prepare for their greatest challenge.
That said, the national under-23 squad will have to scale new heights if they hope to top a group that includes such formidable foes as Ghana and Cameroon and reach the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
The Black Meteors from Ghana hardly need any introduction after finishing third in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics and reaching the Atlanta quarter-finals three years ago.
Cameroon won the All Africa Games title in Johannesburg last month with a series of impressive performances, culminating in a penalty shoot-out triumph over Zambia. Guinea complete the Group Two line-up, and the ease with which they disposed of Gabon suggests they will be no soft touch either.
So, to put it bluntly, the Amaglug-glug have one big battle on their hands. Each country plays its opponents twice and it’s tough luck on South Africa that they must start with a visit to Ghana, arguably the toughest assignment of the six-match programme.
I say arguably because the Meteors have not been at their best lately with two 2-1 victories over Tanzania in the first round of the Olympics followed by a series of poor results in an All Africa Games qualifying tournament. Hosts Ghana were expected to top a mini-league featuring Nigerian and Cte d’Ivoire squads well short of full strength and minnows Burkina Faso, but the Ivorians pipped them for first place on goal difference.
After a shock goalless draw with the Burkinabe, Ghana defeated Nigeria 2-1 before being held goalless by Cte d’Ivoire, whose 3-1 goal difference squeezed them into the finals. Given that Cte d’Ivoire hardly set Johannesburg alight in the finals, defeating only Mauritius in four appearances, perhaps we should not treat Ghana as some sort of insurmountable force.
This humble member of the Muchineripi clan would have been so much happier had players like Delron Buckley, Bradley Carnell and Quinton Fortune been available.
Fortune was superb against Togo in the first-round, second-leg match at Vosloorus Stadium, running the show from midfield and scoring the only goal from the penalty spot after he had been fouled.
His absence from the drawn first leg in West Africa was noticeable with little shape or authority in midfield and it took a large dose of generosity from the Togolese defence to secure a share of the spoils. Carnell and Fortune are injured and Buckley is unavailable owing to club commitments with German second division side VfL Bochum, leaving coach Ephraim “Shakes” Mashaba short of options down the left side.
While South Africa finished third behind Cameroon and Zambia at the All Africa Games, I was far less impressed with them than people like former star Mike Mangena.
The defence was solid with Fabien McCarthy and Matthew Booth in good form, the midfield worked tirelessly and the strikers ran continuously, but the vital spark of inspiration or imagination that wins matches was missing.
Steve Lekoelea, who might have proved the solution, is not going to Ghana through injury, and if South Africa can leave the Accra Sports Stadium with a draw they will have done extremely well.
Cameroon visit Guinea in the other Group Two match, while defending champions Nigeria host Angola and Uganda entertain Zimbabwe in Group One, and Morocco play Egypt and Tunisia tackle Cte d’Ivoire in Group Three. The pool winners are guaranteed places at the 16-nation finals in Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Melbourne and Sydney, and the best of the three runners-up face the Oceania winners for another spot.