Anyone with an intimate knowledge of the marauding packs of Western Province and the Sharks will know why groundsman Julian Barnard said on Friday his staff would be working all night in order to get the Newlands Stadium pitch into shape for Bafana Bafana’s African Nations Cup qualifying game against Zambia on Sunday afternoon.
The Sharks and Western Province will be ploughing up Newlands in a Saturday evening Currie Cup game — which explains the non-committal attitude of the South African Football Association (Safa) in providing a reason for the soccer being switched to Sunday in the first place — and doubts have emanated over whether the venue will be in appropriate shape for the soccer.
Barnard, however, told Kick Off magazine that work would continue through the night to repair any damage to the field caused by the rugby juggernauts and he was confident Newlands would be in sufficiently good shape for the soccer.
Barnard said he had checked on the weather reports and indications were that rain was only expected in Cape Town on Tuesday — ”which is a great relief for me especially,” he added.
But rain or not, Safa officials appear to have again demonstrated their amateurish approach by taking second billing to the rugby when the surface of other adequate stadiums round the country might have been better guaranteed.
It has also been suggested that a below-par pitch at Newlands would be a disadvantage to coach Carlos Alberto Parreira and his attempts to insert a carpet-like, short-passing mode of play into the Bafana ranks.
Meanwhile Safa media spokesperson Sifiso Cele has confirmed ”a clean bill of health” in the Bafana camp — adding that speculation that high-profile Benni McCarthy had picked up an injury was not true.
”Benni played in a practice game,” he added, ”and is in good shape along with all the other players.” – Sapa