Andrew Muchineripi soccer For many inhabitants of our beautiful land, the Olympic Games have tended to be a peripheral sporting occasion. Events would be watched in various sporting codes without a real feeling of belonging. Not any more. The Amaglug-glug are the most loved of our national football teams and although their group matches in Australia will be staged mid-morning, one can imagine many doctors’ appointments around that time. But the remedy for the nagging cough or back pain or recurring headache will not be an appointment at the surgery, rather a visit to the shebeen or the pub around the corner from the office. It all begins for South Africa on Thursday in Canberra against Japan, followed by Brazil in Brisbane on September 17 and Slovakia back in Canberra on September 20. Brazil are overwhelming favourites to win not only Group D, but also the 16-nation tournament, despite a decision not to include any “over-age” stars like Rivaldo in the squad. The Olympics is a strange football competition in that the qualifying rounds on each continent were restricted this time to players born on or after January 1 1977, in effect an under-23 championship. However, come the finals and three “over- age” players are permitted which, in the opinion of this humble scribe, is madness personified. Either it is the world under- 23 championship or it is not. At the heart of the bizarre formula is the struggle between the Olympic movement and world football governing body Fifa to host the best football competition in the world.
Fifa wants to safeguard the World Cup while Olympic president Juan Antonio Samaranch believes the best footballers in the world should be at his games, as is the case with most other sports. South Africa coach Ephraim “Shakes” Mashaba did something of a U-turn regarding over-age players, including goalkeeper Brian Baloyi and Dumisa Ngobe after initially sticking with the players who made it through Africa. It is not a decision that was warmly greeted, especially with seemingly fit Patrick “Ace” Mbuthu sidelined for Ngobe because there were fears his injury might recur. What a load of rubbish! What an insult to a young midfielder who fought so hard in Vosloorus and in distant African fields to ensure Amaglug-glug made it to Sydney.
What guarantee do we have that Japan will not kick Siyabonga Nomvete to shreds within five minutes of the kick-off? What guarantee do we have that Quinton Fortune will not be felled the first time he touches the ball? The answer is none. Adding insult to injury was the suggestion that Mbuthu, who is set to establish himself in the Kaizer Chiefs line-up, should go to Australia for the ride. Forget it, he said, although probably not in such polite terms. The last word we had was that he had returned to his home in the tranquil Free State town of Bethlehem to try and heal the mental wounds. Go well, Ace.
But Ace or no Ace, the show must go on and South Africa, who qualified by finishing the best runners-up in Africa and defeating New Zealand in a playoff, face three difficult obstacles. Japan are guided by former Bafana Bafana coach Philippe “White Witchdoctor” Troussier, boast twice Asian Footballer of the Year Hidetoshi Nakata and are talking of collecting at least the bronze medals. Troussier left South Africa after the 1998 World Cup bitter that he had not been given longer to prove his worth. But there was little sympathy for the volatile Frenchman after a series of public- relations nightmares. Fumbling players were slapped at training and then he allegedly punched a journalist. Some claimed putting ultra-strict Troussier in charge of the often ultra-laidback South African squad was an accident waiting to happen. The former coach of C”te d’Ivoire, Nigeria and Burkina Faso appears to have had more luck with the Japanese, a naturally disciplined race whose Olympic team scored 66 goals in 10 qualifiers. Brazil are favourites, they always are, but one must go back to 1924 to find the last South American success and it was the much smaller Uruguay who carried off the gold medals. After originally saying they would choose three senior players, including Barcelona star Rivaldo, Brazil had a change of heart and avoided the bitter club-versus-country struggle Nigeria are experiencing over Nwankwo Kanu. Slovakia are an unknown quantity who booked a passage to Australia by finishing fourth behind Italy, the Czech Republic and Spain at the European championship, albeit with home advantage.