Bafana hit rock bottom

[mcamp999]

Burkina Faso (2) 3
Cisse 33, 48, Kebe 40

South Africa (0) 1
Zuma 76

On a night of shame on Saturday, Bafana Bafana were all but dumped out of World Cup 2006.

Bafana were suddenly all over the place
If Ghana beat Uganda at home on Sunday, a probable result, Bafana's dream will officially be over. Coach Stuart Baxter may as well resign himself to defeat right now. In fact many will say he may as well resign, full stop.

It seems highly unlikely that Baxter will last even until next month's final World Cup qualifier at home to the Democratic Republic of Congo. It is now not even beyond the realms of possibility that Bafana could get knocked out of the African Nations Cup slated for Egypt next year.

In fact, if the Stallions of Burkina Faso win in Uganda, and Bafana lose to the DRC next month, the ultimate humiliation will be complete.

The Burkina Faso Football Federation put a most gracious message to Bafana on their big screen before the start of play: "Welcome to our brothers and friends of South Africa," it read, "Good match in fair play."

But that is where their generosity ended, as the Stallions simply ripped Bafana to shreds with almost nonchalant ease. Baxter's men were a shambles in defence - Mbulelo Mabizela abysmal on his return to centreback, nowhere in midfield and lethargic in attack with Benni McCarthy only waking up when it was far too late.

It took around 50 minutes for Bafana to truly test Abdoulayre Soulama's goal, and by then, they were already three goals down. When the impressive Sibusiso Zuma did notch a goal, lashing in Bartlett's cross, it was scant consolation.

Yet it had all started fairly promisingly for Bafana on a typically humid evening in Ouagadougou.

Cheered on by a small block of their own fans, they had the first decent break of the game, Bartlett finding McCarthy on the edge of the area. But just as a shooting chance opened up for him, McCarthy chose to square, and failed to find Siyabonga Nomvete. Nomvete's burst of pace then found him some space, but he shot tamely at Soulama.

Burkina Faso, however, were beginning to find their feet, particularly in the centre of midfield where Florent Rouamba was a colossus. And they nearly had a goal just before the 20-minute mark, when Yaya Kebe, who had his own fan club among the crowd, crossed, and Nasief Morris somehow diverted the ball wide of his own goal.

Bafana were suddenly all over the place, their goal under siege, and coach Baxter had one heated exchange with Mabizela.

But it had little effect, and the Stallions duly scored when Boureima Ouattara burst into the penalty area and crossed for Abdoulaye Cisse to slot home. Bafana's woes were doubled within seven minutes when Yaya Kebe, - he had his fan club in raptures - burst clear of the Bafana defence after an awful mix-up between Mabizela and Benson Mhlongo, and chipped the ball coolly over Hans Vonk.

Any motivating team talk Baxter may have given at halftime was then destroyed, as Mabizela, caught ball-watching, tripped Cisse in the area, and the Montpellier striker stepped up and converted the spot kick.

TEAMS
Burkina Faso: Soulama; Tassembedo, Barro, M Ouattara, Kere (Coul-oibaly 66); B Ouattara, Rouamba, Nikiema, Panadetiguiri; Kebe (Minoungou 82), Cisse.

South Africa (4-4-2): Vonk; Morris (Lekgwathi 60), Mabizela, Mokoena, Rammile (Katza 46); Van Heerden, Mhlongo, Pienaar, Nomvete (Zuma 60); Bartlett, McCarthy.

Referee: Coffi Codjia (Benin).

Assistants: Celestin Ntagungira (Rwanda), Aroudou Adeodjou (Benin).

[Oom Rob]

Stuart Baxter is a fine coach and a gentleman, but he has hardly ever had the players he wanted in the team. So many times the bigger clubs would not release their players for the National Team - he used to arrange training sessions before matches and on one occasion five players turned up. He pleaded with the South African Football Association to help him get the players he wanted but to no avail. I believe certaon coaches prior to him have had similar problems - I only hope somebody at the top wakes up and ensures that ALL the players are available for selection, otherwise why appoint a coach??

[Oom Rob]

Ex-coach: Saboteurs destroying soccer

Carlos Queiroz says he knows what Stuart Baxter can expect



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Senseless saboteurs who have been obsessed with the destruction of a succession of Bafana Bafana coaches are destroying the fragment of South African soccer in the process.

This devastating indictment was delivered by Carlos Queiroz yesterday, with the former Bafana coach and respected Manchester United assistant manager revealing he had warned current coach Stuart Baxter three months ago that attempts would be made to derail his plans for guiding South Africa into next year's World Cup Finals in Germany.

"I knew what Stuart could expect from my own experiences as Bafana coach," said Queiroz in a telephone interview from Manchester before he embarked on a trip to Spain with United for a Uefa Champions League fixture.

"Bafana at the time were heading their World Cup qualifying group," said Queiroz, "but this did not satisfy the fanatics who found the idea abhorrent that he could succeed as the national coach.

"So - just as in my case, when I had successfully managed to guide South Africa into the 2002 World Cup Finals - a whole lot of mischevious stories were fabricated to rock the boat.

"The terms of my contract were brazenly abused," explained Queiroz, "and I had no option but to inform Safa that they either honour my contract or pay me out.

"These very same people have used similar tactics to undermine Baxter, whom I know to be a good coach, a good professional and a good guy."

Queiroz said the real tragedy of the matter was not that the Bafana coaches targeted had been undermined, but South African soccer as a whole was now in disarray.

"Worse than anything," he added, "the confidence and the morale of the players has suffered. They are not oblivious to what is going and been the worst kind of motivation for them.

"Those in charge don't seem to know how to handle the crisis or are too scared to take the necessary steps to eradicate the poison and dead wood," said Queiroz.

"It's become like a stuck gramaphone record that keeps repeating itself over and over again - and no one is doing anything about it."

"The potential for soccer in South Africa is enormous." said Queiroz, "and my heart bleeds to see how it is abused.

The Manchester assistant manager, rated by renowned manager Sir Alex Ferguson as "the best man I have brought to United - and that includes the players", said the point had been reached where many of the friends of South African soccer internationally were now having misgivings about the country's ability to stage the World Cup successfully in 2010 under prersent circumstances.

"And they do so with heavy hearts," said Queiroz, "because these are the people who are friends of South Africa and not enemies.

"As for Bafana," concluded the United assistant manager, "I think the point has been reached when any self-respecting coach will think twice before accepting the position of South African coach."


Publish Date: 14 September 2005
Source: SAPA

[mcamp999]

Stuart Baxter is a fine coach and a gentleman, but he has hardly ever had the players he wanted in the team. So many times the bigger clubs would not release their players for the National Team - he used to arrange training sessions before matches and on one occasion five players turned up. He pleaded with the South African Football Association to help him get the players he wanted but to no avail. I believe certaon coaches prior to him have had similar problems - I only hope somebody at the top wakes up and ensures that ALL the players are available for selection, otherwise why appoint a coach??

Hard as it is for me to admit this, but pigs might fly first