Andrew Muchineripi SOCCER
Amid all the media excitement about Amaglug-glug this week, one man has gone quietly about the business of ensuring that South Africa will be among the 16 finalists at the 2000 Olympic Games football tournament in Australia.
Ephraim “Shakes” Mashaba is living proof that you do not need a foreign coach to achieve success. By Saturday evening he should be able to join Clive Barker in the national football coaches’ hall of fame.
Barker guided Bafana Bafana to the 1996 African Nations Cup final and the 1998 World Cup finals during a purple patch for the senior national team and probably would have done much better than Philippe Troussier in France.
But the honour of leading the first South African national team at the finals of a world championship fell to Mashaba, that likeable son of Klerksdorp, when he took the Under-20 squad to the 1997 youth championships in Malaysia.
Given his accessibility to the media it is amazing how little attention he receives. He is also well worth listening to, unlike so many arrogant South African coaches who will blame anyone but themselves when things go wrong.
This humble scribe did not get an opportunity to speak with Bra Shakes this week. He was busy and I accepted that national duty comes first. Anyway, I know the man sufficiently well to read his mind.
He will be concerned more with the mental than the physical state of his “children” as they prepare to tackle New Zealand at the “slaughterhouse” that is Vosloorus Stadium on the East Rand.
South African teams are not used to going into second legs at home with 3-2 leads, but thanks to a late headed goal from captain Matthew Booth that is the position we find ourselves in.
It is a wonderful situation as Amaglug- glug can even afford to lose 1-0 or 2-1 and still qualify for the quadrennial championship won by the Super Eagles of Nigeria four years ago in Atlanta.
Not that it is going to come to that. Regular readers know me as a cautious soul who does not believe in blind patriotism, but prefers to assess football matters from neutral terrain.
That said, I believe Amaglug-glug will defeat the Oly Whites again because they are the better football team and this time there will be a capacity 30 000 crowd roaring the team on.
New Zealand coach Ken Dugdale has been playing psychological games since the final whistle in the first leg last Friday and, frankly, he would be better off resting his vocal chords because Shakes has been around too long to fall for the nonsense.
Dugdale assured his compatriots that all the team had to do in South Africa was win by two goals. The fact that some of the best teams in Africa came to Vosloorus and were sent packing was conviently forgotten.
Togo were first to feel the heat on the sun-baked surface of the ground where Premier Soccer League club Jomo Cosmos play their home matches, followed by Guinea, Cameroon and 1992 silver medallists Ghana.
One goal only was conceded in those four triumphs and provided goalkeeper Emille Baron and Fabian McCarthy have become more acquainted with each other than in Auckland, there is no reason for thatlll record to alter.
There will be one enforced change at the back with Nkiphitheni Matombo coming in for the suspended Aaron Mokoena. My sole reservation about the new man on the right side of defence is a tendency to show his studs.
Nkiphitheni would do well to remember that this match will be controlled by an international team of referees who will not tolerate this despicable habit that should have been banished from our national sport long ago.
McCarthy, whose own goal brought New Zealand level at 2-2 before half-time in the North Harbour Stadium, Booth and David Kannemeyer complete a defence that has got to tighten up after some sloppy first-leg play.
Stanton Fredericks has completed his one-match ban after being cautioned twice during the African qualifiers and should return to the right wing in place of erratic Steve Lekoelea. Patrick “Ace” Mbuthu and Quinton Fortune, who was outstanding in the land of the long white cloud, will man the central midfield positions, leaving Dillon Sheppard to attack down the left flank.
With Benni McCarthy suspended after collecting a wholly unnecessary yellow card for kicking the ball away after the whistle had blown, opportunity knocks for Nkosinathi Nhleko.
Partnering him will be the footballer-of- the-moment, Siyabonga Nomvete, the man most likely to put the cocky New Zealanders in their place. He scored a superb headed goal in Auckland and I believe he will strike again in Vosloorus.
n Senior Bafana Bafana coach Trott Moloto will have to take on Malta on Sunday with just 13 fit players at his disposal. Injuries to several key players and the unavailability of others has left the coach short-staffed ahead of the match, which the national side plays on the way to participating in a four-nation tournament in the lllUnited lllStates.