The local contingent of Bafana Bafana players left Johannesburg on Sunday to join their European-based counterparts for the international friendly against Iceland in Reykjavik on Wednesday, with talented Orlando Pirates striker Lebohang Mokoena hurriedly packing his luggage as a late replacement for the injured Shaun Bartlett.
Bafana Bafana on Saturday night announced a ”mixed confectionary” of local and overseas-based players for the World Cup warm-up friendly against Iceland in Reykjavik on Wednesday — but quickly ran into problems. Charlton Athletic striker and top South African goal-scorer Shaun Bartlett immediately withdrew.
A Cosafa Cup semifinal of mixed emotions and vacillating form ended in heartbreak for Bafana Bafana at the Mmabatho Stadium on Saturday when Zambian goalkeeper Kennedy Mweene completed an unusual double to edge his team into Sunday’s final against Zimbabwe via a 9-8 advantage in the deciding penalty shoot-out.
The Cosafa Cup semifinal against Zambia on Saturday presents Bafana Bafana with an opportunity to cement a self-proclaimed reputation as the regional soccer super power. But for coach Stuart Baxter, a priority might be to see how the match will help him assemble the most effective squad for the vital World Cup qualifying game against Burkina Faso.
Action aplenty, goals in abundance and controversial incidents were the features of the 2-2 Premier League draw between Supersport United and Santos at the Loftus stadium in Pretoria on Wednesday night. It was ultimately a result that will provide new Santos coach Roger de Sa with a great deal more satisfaction than it will to a disappointed Supersport and their handful of supporters.
Steve Komphela says that he has resigned as Bafana Bafana’s assistant coach because coach Stuart Baxter questioned his loyalty to the national team. But not everyone agrees with him. Sources have suggested Komphela was removed from his position and given the option to handle the affairs of the South African Under-23 team.
Faced with the imposing task of playing one of the most important games in South African soccer history — the World Cup qualifier in Burkina Faso early in September — Bafana Bafana on Wednesday were hit by the news that the South African Football Association is struggling to secure a critical warm-up fixture for the national team’s ”shadow” World Cup line-up on August 17.
Food of gluttonous proportions was served to all and sundry at this week’s function to launch the 2005/06 Premier Soccer League (PSL), but the soccer programme itself starts with something more in line of an aperitif when Ajax Cape Town entertain Jomo Cosmos at Newlands Stadium in Cape Town on Wednesday night.
When you are the Bafana Bafana coach, you have no option but to be grateful for small mercies. However, even the news on Monday that Stuart Baxter will be able to select players from Kaizer Chiefs, Bloemfontein Celtic, Moroka Swallows and Supersport United for next week’s Cosafa Cup semifinal still had a backlash.
They may have proved their worth as Telkom Charity Cup champions for a second successive year by winning Saturday’s final in front of a 70 000 crowd at the FNB Stadium while fielding basically different teams for the games against Black Leopards and Bloemfontein Celtic. Now the intriguing question is: Who are the real Sundowns?