”It could not have come at a worse time,” was how Bafana Bafana coach Stuart Baxter on Monday described the one-game Fifa suspension that will keep the mesmerising Benni McCarthy out of next Saturday’s crucial World Cup qualifying game against Ghana at the FNB Stadium.
McCarthy received a second yellow card during the gruelling 2-1 victory against the Cape Verde islands in Praia on Saturday after elevating his tally as South Africa’s second-highest scorer to 26 goals.
The Porto-based striker’s deft 10th-minute header opened the score against Cape Verde and paved the way for Bafana’s all-important success — once again emphasising his invaluable, if at times unpredictable, role as a provider of vital goals for Bafana.
And while Baxter is patently aware of the enormity of the loss in facing Ghana’s Black Stars without the classy McCarthy, he is not without hope of finding an adequate replacement for the game against what many believe are South Africa’s most serious rivals for a place in next year’s World Cup finals.
Top on Baxter’s list of reinforcements in this respect is the only player who has scored more goals for South Africa than McCarthy has, namely Charlton Athletic’s long-serving Shaun Bartlett, who missed the Cape Verde game because of injury but is reportedly almost over the effects of a leg problem that kept him out of soccer for more than a month.
”I’m not ruling out any player who has a chance of helping Bafana’s cause against Ghana,” added Baxter, ”and Shaun will certainly be called up to the pre-match training camp in order to gauge his match fitness after his lengthy absence.”
Also in this category are Manchester United’s Quinton Fortune and German-based defender Bradley Carnell, who were missing from the Bafana line-up against Cape Verde because of lingering injuries.
Baxter will field a number of his ”injured brigade” for 30 minutes or so in the Lucas Radebe testimonial game in Durban this weekend to gauge whether they will be ready to face the formidable challenge against Ghana.
The Bafana coach is also gathering data from Italy on former Kaizer Chiefs star Siyabonga Nomvete, once a key factor for South Africa on the international stage but more recently relegated to the ”forgotten man” category.
A less optimistic prognosis, however, centres on the fitness of Sibusiso Zuma, who is rated an almost-certain non-starter against Ghana, while Kaizer Chiefs defender Cyril Zuma is still a long way from returning to soccer.
After the comprehensive 3-0 defeat against Ghana in an earlier World Cup qualifying game in Kumasi, a second defeat at home to the Black Stars could be catastrophic for Bafana.
And McCarthy sitting out a game of this dimension aptly explains Baxter’s down-to-earth assessment that the Porto striker’s suspension could not have materialised at a worse time. — Sapa