New Bafana deprived of fearless enforcers
THE provisional Bafana Bafana squad that Hugo Broos announced this week may have had many proclaiming the start of a new era for the country’s senior national team.
The question, perhaps, should be what kind of new era is the Belgian bringing with these changes. On the face of it, the 31-man squad that he is to trim down to 23 later is exciting with many of the national Under-23 players who were at the Tokyo Olympics picked up. Progression! Good!
But, closely assessed, it becomes clear that in injecting new life to the squad Bafana’s new coach has missed the mark – the group evidently bereft of obvious leaders and enforcers who are so crucial to success in the jungle that is continental football.
The discerning in South African football will remember only too well the kind of players who made up the teams that did the country proud on the international stage. And this one that Broos has put together for the 2022 Fifa World Cup qualifiers is nothing like those.
Granted, the game has long moved on and players have evolved. But such are the demands of continental football that even now any team that hopes to succeed has to have a fearless leader who plays with his heart on his sleeve and knows just how to cajole his troops in the cauldron of a foreign field against tough opposition.
The Orlando Pirates team that won the Africa Club Champions Cup back in 1995 had those players aplenty – Edward Motale, Innocent Mncwango, Mark Fish, Gavin Lane – strong battlers who were not afraid to go in where it hurt.
When Bafana won the Africa Cup of Nations in 1996 and then booked their place at the 1998 World Cup a year later, Clive Barker had in his squad Neil Tovey and Lucas Radebe to pick as his captains and knew that in Fish, Linda Buthelezi and Eric Tinkler he had soldiers who would not shirk out of a battle.
In winning the 2016 CAF Champions League, Pitso Mosimane had taken years to build a squad of tough as teak players who remained unmoved at the coalface of intimidation from hostile crowd, seasoned continental campaigners and overall tough situations on their travels – with captain Hlompho Kekana always out there to rally up and cajole his teammates into performing.
Not so the squad that Broos announced.
Who in that squad will be his captain? Ronwen Williams may be the skipper at SuperSport United and was even captain of the country at the Olympics. But the reality is that he neither has the presence, charisma and even performance that screams leader. His performances at the Tokyo Games did very little to silence those who had been lamenting his being the country’s No 1 goalkeeper since Itumeleng Khune, Williams having disappointed in Bafana colours.
Mosa Lebusa captains Mamelodi Sundowns and could well be a good choice for the armband in this squad. But even he does not have that aura which will have the opposition quaking in their boots.
While there are some exciting ball players – Sipho Mbule, Teboho Mokoena, Siphelele Mkhulise and Njabulo Blom – in midfield, it is hard to see anyone of them taking the game by the scruff of its neck in Harare against Zimbabwe in a fashion akin to the way a Doctor Khumalo or Quinton Fortune used to – especially not out in a packed stadium in Addis Ababa or Accra.
Broos and his technical team have, no doubt, scoured the entire country and leagues outside for players and these are the best 31 they found. And that is the sad tale of South African football that our game no longer has obvious stand out leading performers that we could call to with confidence for leading us to glory.
With all three of our opponents in the World Cup qualifiers having made it to next year’s Africa Cup of Nations finals and Bafana having failed, you can bet they will approach their clashes with us confident of success.
And there’s nothing about the squad that Broos has picked to give us Bafana fans great confidence that ours will be the last team standing at the end of the qualifiers. But then again stranger things have happened in this game. And I so hope they do.
SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Ronwen Williams, Veli Mothwa, Bruce Bvuma, Sifiso Mlungwana Defenders: Sydney Mobbie, Rushine De Reuck, Thapelo Morena, Siyanda Xulu , Thibang Phete, Thabani Dube, Njabulo Ngcobo, Mosa Lebusa Sibusiso Mabiliso, Innocent Maela
Midfielders: Kobamelo Kodisang, Sipho Mbule, Teboho Mokoena, Mothobi Mvala, Sphelele Mkhulise, Sphephelo Sithole, Njabulo Blom, Ethan Brooks, Yusuf Maart, Siyethemba Sithebe
Strikers: Thabiso Kutumela Bongokuhle Hlongwane, Gift Links, Evidence Makgopa, Victor Letsoala, Percy Tau, Luther Singh