It was not the kind of drama that Bafana Bafana needed on Wednesday as the South African contingent completed an initial period of preparation for the fateful World Cup qualifying game against Burkina Faso in Bremen, Germany and embarked on a five-hour chartered flight to Ouagadougou.

The trials and tribulations of talented Jomo Cosmos continued at the Germiston Stadium on Wednesday afternoon when the bottom club in the Premier League table tumbled to a tense, nail-biting 2-1 defeat against Dynamos. Not even a revival in the final 30 minutes could rescue Cosmos from a third defeat at this early juncture of the season.

”Well worthwhile,” was the assessment of general manager Stanley ”Screamer” Tshabalala after Bafana Bafana’s work-out on Tuesday with German Bundesliga club Werder Bremen. A satisfied Tshabalala proclaimed the second day of preparation for Saturday’s crucial World Cup qualifying game against Burkina Faso as ”satisfying all-round”.

With the spectre of relegation already round the corner for Jomo Cosmos, club owner and coach Jomo Sono was clearly only too happy to help the Premier Soccer League (PSL) solve a predicament caused by Fifa’s week of international fixtures. The result is a game against Dynamos at Germiston Stadium on Tuesday afternoon.

The FNB Stadium might be the last place on the planet Kaizer Chiefs would like to be playing soccer following the uncontrolled vandalism of their supporters on Saturday night during and after the 2-1 SAA Supa8 defeat against Bloemfontein Celtic. But, like it or not, Amakhosi return to the scene of their shame on Thursday night.

”Goodbye Chicco,” was the message from Mamelodi Sundowns on Tuesday after negotiations were completed for star Côte d’Ivoire international midfielder Siaka ”Chicco” Tiene to join French Premier Division club St Ettiene. Tiene was one of the most impressive performers of the 2004/05 Premier Soccer League season.

Premier Soccer League CEO Trevor Phillips on Monday promised ”quick justice” after Kaizer Chiefs supporters ran amok following Amakhosi’s 2-1 SAA Supa8 defeat against Bloemfontein Celtic at the FNB Stadium on Saturday night. However, the process is not likely to be painless.

Supersport United finally ended a four-season sequence without a victory against Moroka Swallows when two late goals gave them a 3-1 victory at a sun-swept Germiston Stadium on Sunday afternoon and entry into the semifinals of the SAA Supa8 competition.

The big freeze for Bafana Bafana in recent times continued in Reykjavik on Wednesday night when Iceland recorded an emphatic 4-1 win over South Africa in what was billed as a warm-up for next month’s critical World Cup qualifying game against Burkina Faso.

The absence of a cohesive, coordinated overall programme at the helm of South African soccer was evident again on Monday when the Premier Soccer League overturned its entire midweek programme, with Kaizer Chiefs, Orlando Pirates, Mamelodi Sundowns, Supersport United, Moroka Swallows and Ajax Cape Town now shorn of matches.