It won’t be easy, but Bafana Bafana coach Pitso Mosimane does not rule out Benni McCarthy and Mbulelo “OJ” Mabizela from future international selection.
“Nobody is disqualified from Bafana selection,” said Mosimane, “least of all players of the calibre of Benni and ‘OJ’, who are among the most talented South African goal scorers and defenders of the past decade. However, the South African national side is now built on the uncompromising foundation of five basic principles of the game that are related to disciplined team work on and off the pitch and everyone selected has to abide by these principles.”
Whether McCarthy and Mabizela can conform to this scrutiny is indeed an open question.
But to emphasise that the two “prodigal sons” of South African soccer are intent on pressing home the message that it would be premature to write their soccer epitaphs, both McCarthy and Mabizela scored stunning goals for Orlando Pirates and Bidvest Wits University respectively, while making their much-publicised return to Premier Soccer League action last weekend.
It was 33-year-old McCarthy’s first appearance in the PSL in 14 years when he came on as a second-half substitute for the Buccaneers in their 2-0 win over promoted Black Leopards, with Bafana’s all-time top scorer slotting the ball into the corner of the net from close range after a mere eight minutes on the pitch.
In the interim the engaging but enigmatic McCarthy experienced the heights of affluence and the ignominy and despair of failure and ugly controversy at both club and international level while on the payroll of Ajax Amsterdam, Porto, Celta Vigo, and Blackburn Rovers and West Ham in England.
And when West Ham paid him out last season before the termination of his contract, amid derisive comments that he was “too fat and unfit and unwilling to rectify these shortcomings”, his playing career at club level was widely considered to be in jeopardy, never mind a return to Bafana’s ranks.
Almost as high-profile and constantly raising the blood pressure of even his most fervent admirers for his off-the-field antics, one-time Pirates prodigy and former Bafana captain Mabizela seemed to have the soccer world at his feet when he signed for Tottenham Hotspur after they were impressed by his defensive skills and general composure while on a pre-season tour of South Africa.
But the now-30-year-old Mabizela displayed the same sort of indiscipline that cost him the Bafana captaincy and Spurs soon terminated his contract.
Mosimane doesn’t view the ages of McCarthy and Mabizela as serious obstacles to their returning to the international sphere. “If a 33-year-old Diego Forlán can win the outstanding player award at the 2010 Fifa World Cup and then guide Uruguay to the South American Championship this year, McCarthy and Mabizela are not too old to make their mark for South Africa.”
The Bafana coach sounded less convinced, however, when he outlined in detail his criteria for Bafana selection. “First,” said Mosimane, “there is the matter of a basic level of skill and talent and I don’t believe McCarthy and Mabizela have any problems on this score. Second, they have the perception and initiative to know where to be and what to do on the field.”
But Mosimane also regards a high level of fitness, the ability to overcome adversity and unselfish discipline as equally important, in addition to players placing the interests of the team above those of the individual.
“Something to also take into consideration is assessing what impact the inclusion of a player will have on the performance of the team in its entirety, with behaviour on and off the field taken into account.
One authority who has full confidence that Mabizela will be reliable in all respects is Wits coach and former Bafana goalkeeper Roger de Sá. “I got to know Mabizela well when I was the Bafana goalkeeping coach,” said De Sá, “and he was one of the best players in the squad. He is a most likeable lad and he never gave me any problems.”
As for his Wits debut in the 2-2 draw against Maritzburg United, De Sá said Mabizela “fulfilled everything asked of him and more. There are not many central defenders with his penchant for initiating attacking movements and scoring goals as he did on this occasion.”
McCarthy, too, had the Pirates fraternity crowing after his brief appearance against Black Leopards. But it’s too soon to tell whether he can regain a measure of the speed and stamina that made him a world-class player, let alone eliminate the lack of commitment that finally cost him his Bafana place before the 2010 Fifa World Cup. His second appearance as a substitute against Platinum Stars mid-week was less auspicious and demonstrated that his comeback has a long way to go.