The next week is a big one for SA football as both the senior men’s national team and the under-23s seek to secure qualification for their respective Africa Cup of Nations tournaments.
For Bafana Bafana, it will be a case of aiming to return to an event they qualified for only three times in the past seven editions, including as emergency hosts in 2013 when the Nations Cup was moved from Libya due to the civil war in that country.
For David Notoane’s under-23 team, victory over the Republic of Congo in their two-legged qualifier will see them lining up alongside seven other African nations with the aim of lifting the trophy, but they will also be seeking at least a top-three finish to ensure qualification for a third consecutive Olympic Games. A fourth-place finish, should they overcome Congo of course, will see them involved in a play-off with the fourth best under-23 side in the Asian Football Confederation.
International experience
Playing at the continental tournament in Morocco in June is not only a matter of prestige but also provides a valuable opportunity for the next generation of prospective Bafana players to gain international experience.
Qualifying won’t, however, be easy as Congo defeated a strong Tunisia side in the previous round while SA, hampered by late withdrawals, barely crawled over the line against Togo as they survived some close shaves before progressing courtesy of the away-goals rule.
As for Bafana, their back-to-back games against Liberia at Orlando Stadium on Friday and in Monrovia next Tuesday are vital for the national team’s growth and the restoration of their seriously battered pride. It’s important for them to play at big tournaments such as the Nations Cup to provide aspirational value for local young footballers.
Playing against Africa’s top teams will also lay a great foundation for the main aim of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup to be hosted by the US, Canada and Mexico. With nine places on offer to African teams, qualifying for the expanded 48-team tournament will become a touch easier for Bafana than was the case when only five places were on offer.
The future of coach Hugo Broos is on the line as failure to qualify for the Nations Cup is likely to result in him being shown the door less than two years into his five-year contract.
With Morocco already having qualified thanks to their victories over SA and Liberia in a group that has been reduced to three teams due to the suspension of Zimbabwe, picking up four points against the Lone Stars will guarantee an 11th appearance at the Nations Cup for Bafana thanks to the Confederation of African Football’s (Caf’s) head-to-head tiebreaker rule.
Thankfully, Broos seems to have finally settled on a squad that features a time-honoured blend of experience and youth. Bafana seem to have developed the necessary confidence to compete on the continental stage.
Maybe he was the missing link in our team, a guy who can keep the ball, a guy who can give passes and a guy who can score
— Hugo Broos
The inclusion of eight players from a Mamelodi Sundowns side that has been in dominant form locally and in the Caf Champions League should stand the South Africans in good stead as they are by now well versed in the vagaries and challenges posed by travelling and playing conditions north of the Limpopo.
Broos at least deserves credit for swallowing his pride and bringing back into the fold the talented Themba Zwane, who was initially overlooked because, aged 33, he was deemed too old for the coach’s renewal plans.
The Sundowns midfield general has kicked down the proverbial door with his outstanding performances for his club and is likely to be a key weapon in Bafana’s quest to qualify for the Nations Cup and re-establish themselves among Africa’s leading teams.
Zwane, who was recalled to the national side after more than a year in the international wilderness, immediately asserted his authority by inspiring the team to a convincing 4-0 victory over Sierra Leone in a friendly in September.
“Maybe he was the missing link in our team, a guy who can keep the ball, a guy who can give passes and a guy who can score,” Broos enthused after the game.
The Belgian has seen out the early storm that accompanied his first year in charge of Bafana, conceding that it took longer than he expected to mould the national team to his satisfaction.
It’s clear that the 70-year-old former Belgium international defender who coached Cameroon to their fifth Nations Cup title in 2017 now has a much better idea about the talent available in the PSL and overseas. He should also have become more aware of the political and cultural nuances prevalent in SA football. Getting to grips with these issues is often underestimated, especially for foreign coaches who end up walking blindfolded into a minefield.
As much as Bafana are expected to overcome Liberia, who are ranked a lowly 150 by Fifa, they would do well not to underestimate a Liberia team that has been training with its home-based players for the past month under the guidance of new coach Ansu Keita, who was appointed in January.
Still, if SA with all its resources and infrastructure, can’t beat Liberia, who played at their second and last Nations Cup way back in 2002, they don’t deserve to play alongside Africa’s best in Ivory Coast next year.
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