A song, a dance and a few million dollars have propelled Zimbabwe’s Warriors to their first finals of the African Cup of Nations.
The celebrations look set to continue in East London this weekend as the Warriors lock horns with a makeshift Bafana Bafana team lacking experience, cohesion and genuine ambition to retain the Council of Southern African Football Associations (Cosafa) title.
South Africa’s caretaker coach Kenneth Conti Kubheka watched in dismay in practice matches this week as his players fidgeted, huffed and puffed while executing passes that lacked direction.
‘This match has not come at the right time for us,†he said. ‘Most of the regulars for Bafana are unavailable, it is off-season in South Africa and fitness is a major problem for us.â€
Kubheka’s counterpart on the Warriors bench, Sunday Marimo, has no such worries. According to Zimbabwean newspaper The Herald, captain and top striker Peter Ndlovu, who plays for English first division side Sheffield United, reported for duty on Tuesday. Ndlovu joined other experienced campaigners like Kaitano Tembo, Adam Ndlovu and Poland-based Dickson Choto at the camp.
In fact, only two players will miss the game from the original squad called up by Marimo. Alois Banjura (Sundowns) and Tinashe Nengomashe (Kaizer Chiefs) were refused permission by their clubs to join the Warriors. It is a scant consolation for Kubheka, whose squad was reduced by the withdrawals of Michael Manzini, Clement Mazibuko and Godfrey Sapula — all from Sundowns.
This makeshift Bafana squad includes players with potential, yet very little experience in international football. Barring major complications, Moneeb Josephs (Ajax) will make his debut in goal. Defence is the one area that holds real promise for this Cosafa squad, with Themba Mnguni making his first appearance since 1999. Mnguni (30) was capped 12 times before injury disrupted what was a promising career since his debut in 1998 against Côte d’Ivoire.
Siphiwe Mkhonza of Golden Arrows, Phil Evans (SuperSport) and Tsietsi Mahoa (Wits University) will probably complete the back four. All have been in outstanding form for their respective teams, in particular Evans who notched eight goals. That is quite prolific for a defender.
The midfield is a major headache for Kubheka. ‘I am really battling for a combination here,†he said. The Sundowns withdrawals have left the stand-in coach with Frank Makua, Benson Mhlongo and Bheka Phakathi as the only viable options. Dikgang Mabalane and Innocent Ntsume are the other possibilities.
Bafana Bafana’s problems up front are well documented. Even with the availability of overseas-based players, goals are in short supply.
For this squad, Abram Raselemane and Daniel Matsau will be happy to extract a couple from their combined tally of 26 goals in the premier league last season. Yet neither of them has scored an international goal at senior level so far, although Matsau has a fantastic record for the under-23s. Wits University’s Manqoba Ngwenya is the other option.
In contrast, Zimbabwe have plenty of options up front. Apart from the England-based Ndlovu, his elder brother Adam is Zimbabwe’s all-time scorer and has been banging them in for the Warriors with defender Tembo chipping in a few. South Africans will remember how Tembo’s ghosting header ousted Bafana from the 2000 Cosafa Cup in Port Elizabeth.
Another factor in Zimbabwe’s favour is the stability of Marimo’s position. The former captain of the Warriors has enjoyed unprecedented support from the Zimbabwean Football Federation (Zifa), an association notorious for
interfering with coaches. Marimo rewarded Zifa and the nation with the first qualification to the Nations Cup since independence in 1980.
Marimo’s stated goal now is to use this match against as part of Zimbabwe’s preparations for their 2006 World Cup qualifier against Mauritania in September.
On the other hand, South Africa’s senior coach, Shakes Mashaba, is happy to take a rest, basking in the glory of leading Bafana Bafana to the finals of the Nations Cup in Tunisia next year.
The South African Football Association has argued that Mashaba’s good record could be tarnished by a small matter of coaching a team for the Cosafa Cup.
It is interesting, though, to note that Mashaba as an individual has an excellent record with Bafana, while the country has made very little progress with him at the helm. Bafana are not even seeded for Tunisia 2004, and there is very little talk of how this rest can benefit the nation.
It is not all gloom for Kubheka and his group of hopefuls. This is a home tie for South Africa and that should count for something. Even with a loss, the likes of Josephs, Mhlongo and Evans would have gained some valuable experience.
For the Zimbabweans, this presents another perfect opportunity to establish themselves as one of the dominant forces in Southern Africa. And if all else fails, they can still call on the lyrical skills of Information Minister Jonathan Moyo and Uncle Bob Mugabe’s millions of dollars for inspiration.