Bafana Bafana’s first match under the Black Prince was not convincing
Thebe Mabanga
And thus, a new era dawned in South African international football with the second coming of the Black Prince.
Jomo Sono began his second temporary stint as Bafana Bafana coach in neutral territory in Italy against Saudi Arabia with a 0-1 loss.
Yet how we got to a stage where Sono is the man in charge is a bungle that deserves probing.
This week the South African Football Association (Safa) finally paid Carlos Queiroz a settlement estimated at R2-million. In the process it took a needlessly acrimonious route to achieve what seems to have been the intention since Bafana Bafana’s calamitous implosion in Mali. Safa’s handling of this matter was, at best, vacuous and spineless.
Safa should have openly dismissed Queiroz and brought in their man. The payout due to the Portuguese coach would have been recouped as it will be now from the money Fifa gives participating countries to prepare for the World Cup and appearance fees at the showpiece.
It was Queiroz after all, who ensured the money flows into Safa’s coffers by qualifying South Africa for the World Cup, no matter how unconvincingly. It is one thing to declare a man’s competency inadequate. It is yet another, callous and unacceptable, to begrudge him his earnings.
The end result, though, is a paradox laced with a tinge of romanticism: The man South Africa regard as the best player it has ever produced, Sono, is now charged with the task of leading the country to its best showing in the World Cup, four months after its worst showing in a Nations Cup. The feat is so near yet so far, and against the Saudis on Wednesday, Sono got his first chance to show whether it is achievable.
He began by cleverly deflecting pressure from his new charges by insisting that the result is not important, but rather the manner in which it is achieved. He then proceeded to use the opportunity to experiment in a manner that stretched the concept so far it almost lost meaning.
Only Matthew Booth, Thabo Mngomeni, Cyril Nzama and the recalled Lovers Mohlala had more than 10 caps. Yet the new boys, while not a revelation, acquitted themselves reasonably well. Emille Barron resumed an international career that had been put on ice following his sterling performance with the under-23s. His overdue senior debut proved rather mild but solid. The diminutive midfield anchor Bennedict Vilakazi took the field with a burden imposed by the number 10 shirt and shrugged it off with a decent performance.
The best feature of Sono’s side was their relative confidence on the ball, and in time the flair that South Africans clamour for will become an integral feature of their play. Whether that happens in time for the World Cup is another matter.
The best lesson Bafana could have learnt would have been the art of swift counter-attacking that led to the Desert Warriors’ goal. From a South African corner kick, the Saudis initially cleared poorly but then recovered possession and broke through the middle where Vilakazi and Mngomeni formed the last line of defence. By the time Asian Footballer of the year Nawaf al Temyat tucked a neat through ball past Barron, Bafana were thinking of how best to create an equaliser. The opportunities duly came with the best falling as a free header to Vilakazi who punched it wide.
Next week a squad of mainly overseas-based players take on Georgia in Tsiblisi. The Georgians, while not formidable, should pose interesting questions to Bafana.
From a world ranking of 156 in March 1994, the former Soviet republic finds itself ranked 60th in rankings released on Wednesday.
In Italy against fellow World Cup finalists, Bafana fired with purpose but without urgency. In the austere surroundings of Eastern Europe against non-qualifiers, it is time to signal intent.