The gulf between Bafana Bafana and the football elite that’s coming to South Africa in June was exposed in Switzerland this past Tuesday.
Portugal was an acid test Joel Santana and his charges needed to pass before they could convince their backers that they are ready to host the Confederations Cup.
Bafana lost 2-0, evidence that the team may still be far off the mark.
There was never any doubt about the huge gap between Bafana and their opponents, captained by Fifa World Player of the Year Cristiano Ronaldo and teeming with stars in the mould of Chelsea midfielder Deco, Manchester United’s Nani and Real Madrid’s €30-million central-defender, Pepe.
Bafana, in comparison, can only boast of Steven Pienaar who plays for Everton, a side that has spent the better part of the modern era fighting to stay afloat in the English Premiership.
South Africa were no contest on paper.
The 10th-placed team in the world were the perfect litmus test 72nd-placed Bafana needed to gauge if they are to be worthy opposition for the likes of world champions Italy, highflying Spain and the evergreen Brazil. This is the calibre of opponent Bafana will face.
Former captain Neil Tovey believes that other factors may have worked against Bafana. ”Playing in sub-zero temperatures is a major change for players coming from Africa. It would therefore be unfair to write off the team on the strength of that result,” he told the Mail & Guardian.
Fans and Fifa are concerned about Bafana crashing out in the first round of the World Cup and the Confederations Cup. As host South Africa must proceed beyond the early stages to keep the locals interested.
Bafana had appeared to be on track after a morale-boosting 2-1 victory over Norway in the Mandela Challenge last weekend, a victory that helped to extinguish horrific memories of last month’s 2-0 loss to Chile.
There was renewed optimism among the fans and Fifa that Santana’s team could be worthy hosts in June and next year. It’s now back to the drawing board, but time is no longer on the coach’s side.
As when they lost to Chile, Bafana were totally outclassed by Portugal. Only two efforts from the hardworking Bernard Parker can be recorded as goal attempts.
Still, Tovey was quick to warn against wholesale changes to the team.
”One game is not really going to make that much difference to our preparations and it is important not to press the panic button,” he said.
”We are always going to struggle without Benni McCarthy playing with Parker up front. The strike force and goalkeeping departments are areas that may need to be revisited,” said Tovey.
McCarthy — though difficult to work with — is a world-class striker, especially for a team lacking in quality.
Bafana’s fragile defence was exposed when Portugal scored both goals from corner kicks, with goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune at sea on each occasion. ”I think the coaching department missed the boat by leaving out Rowen Fernandez,” said Tovey.
Tovey did not mention the midfield, but this was another area that failed to click.
Macbeth Sibaya and Lance Davids struggled with their defensive link roles and Teko Modise failed to stamp his authority as a playmaker. A plan of action is needed to give Bafana more experience at this level.
First, Santana needs to add more competitive matches before the Confederations Cup kicks off.
There should be a change in the make-up of the team, with an emphasis on experience.
Fernandez should be brought back in goal and Khune made the understudy. The Kaizer Chiefs player is young and could learn a lot from the tried and tested Fernandez.
Delron Buckley’s experience in the midfield is missed and, if doubled with Kagiso Dikgacoi, could be the answer to the shortcomings of the out of sorts Davids and Sibaya.
Few positives can be drawn from the matches against Norway and Portugal. They have at least provided Santana with the necessary indicators of where the team is and what needs to be done before the Confederations Cup kicks off.