Some African giants
are struggling to
qualify for next year’s soccer World Cup
Ntuthuko Maphumulo
Bafana Bafana’s 1-1 draw against Burkina Faso in Ougadougou last weekend might not have been stylish, but it was mission accomplished as South Africa joined Cameroon in qualifying for next year’s World Cup in Japan and Korea.
In 1998 Phil Masinga sent the whole country into a frenzy when he scored against Congo to send South Africa to their first World Cup finals in France. Last week’s goal by Sibusiso Zuma had a similar effect.
Cameroon was the first African country to qualify for the World Cup when they beat Togo 2-0, and it will be the fifth time the Olympic and African champions have qualified for the world showpiece.
South African coach Carlos Quieroz has now achieved the three objectives the South African Football Association (Safa) set him when it hired the Mozambique national last year.
Safa chief executive Danny Jordaan said: “We wanted him to qualify for the African Nations Cup, the World Cup finals and create enough depth in the Bafana Bafana squad.”
The coach is now planning not only to take Bafana to the World Cup but also to reach the knockout stages.
There are now only three berths still available to African countries for next year and it might be the same five countries that represented Africa in France in 1998 that make it to Japan and Korea.
Order appears to have been restored in Group B, where continental giants Nigeria have regained the top spot with a 4-0 routing of Sudan. The Lone Stars of Liberia had looked set to provide the upset of the qualifying rounds as they took a surprise lead in a group that contained traditional West African powerhouses Nigeria and Ghana.
Liberia, who where dreaming to making their first World Cup appearance went down to Ghana 2-1 in front of their home supporters.
George Weah quit the national team after supporters insulted his mother, but the fans later begged him to play the final qualifying match against Sierra Leone.
The former world and African player of the year has never played on the biggest stage of all and he might relent and agree to turn out for the Lone Stars again as the cause is not completely lost.
Nigeria, with 13 points, lead Liberia by just one point and the Super
Eagles’s final match is against local rivals Ghana in Lagos.
In Group C last weekend Morocco beat Egypt 1-0 and all they need now is a point in their last qualifier against Senegal next week to make their fifth appearance in the finals.
In Group D the pressure was turned up by log leaders Tunisia when they beat Congo 6-0 at home, but that feat was matched by Cte d’Ivoire, who beat Madagascar 6-0 at home.
Tunisia lead the group with 17 points and one game left to play, but Cte d’Ivoire, on 14 points, still have two games to play.
Should both countries win their
remaining matches the winner will be decided on goal difference which might explain the high-scoring matches last weekend.
Two African countries only have gone beyond the first round in the World Cup Nigeria and Cameroon but only Cameroon have progressed beyond, reaching the quarterfinals where they lost to England in a controversial game in the 1994 event in Italy.
l Jordaan and his vice-president, Irvin Khoza, are in Argentina attending the congress of world governing body Fifa, where a final decision on the rotation of the World Cup should be made. This would ensure that the 2010 event is held in Africa.