What was a light-hearted Bafana press conference yesterday turned sour when coach Shakes Mashaba asked if he could “end it on a sad note”.
The hastily arranged briefing in Milpark had given the gathered hacks a delightful theme – one of harmony in the national team camp after prodigal son May Mahlangu had reported for camp despite being injured.
Thulani Serero and Kamohelo Mokotjo, two players who have also had run-ins with the coach recently, were expected to arrive last night.
But Mashaba saw an opportunity to again speak directly to the critics, which he said were not in the room. “Nobody would have expected me to say this. I am Ephraim Mashaba, those who still doubt my qualities of coaching the national team are wasting time,” he said.
“People are still questioning whether I am the right person to coach this team or not. Who is the right person? I am a South African by birth. I deserve to be here and my colour does not stop me from coaching the national team. I want people to know that.”
Mashaba ended his remarks with a “thank you”, but he’d left many with questions unanswered. The coach has been under fire since Bafana’s return from the Africa Cup of Nations in Equatorial Guinea, where they failed to go past the group stages.
His tactics, especially the decision to rotate the three goalkeepers in all three matches, were questioned and led to the SA Football Association vowing to intensify its search for a technical director and playing role of mediator to bring back four overseas-based players he sidelined in Serero, Mokotjo, Mahlangu and Ayanda Patosi.
The technical director post remains vacant, while the press conference had highlighted the successful mediation process – which Mashaba overshadowed with his attacks on his detractors – ahead the two friendly matches away to Swaziland tomorrow and Nigeria in Nelspruit on Sunday.
Still, the coach will feel he might have finally gotten through to his players about their loyalty and wearing the national team jersey with pride. “But we haven’t set down with May just yet because now is not the right time. We appreciate him coming all the way even though he is injured. We will discuss all these issues when he is playing again,” said Mashaba.
Another player on the injury list is right-back Anele Ngcongca, while Dean Furman’s English-based club Doncaster asked for the midfielder to be excused so he can be available for two must-win games in their bid to gain promotion from League One. Mashaba said he would not be calling up replacements.
- Bafana will take a winning record into tomorrow night’s friendly international against Swaziland at the Somhlolo Stadium in what is surprisingly only the fifth ever meeting between the two neighbours.
While Bafana have played Botswana eight times and met Lesotho on seven previous occasions, they have only taken on “Sihlangu” in four previous fixtures – three times in the regional southern African championship and once in a friendly.
Bafana have won all four previous meetings.
Amazingly it took eight years after South Africa’s admission to the African football ranks for the neighbours to meet, in a Cosafa Castle Cup match at Witbank where Delron Buckley scored both goals in a comfortable 2-0 win.
In 2002, the two countries met again in the quarterfinal of the regional championship in Polokwane where Bafana won 4-1.
In 2006, also in the Cosafa Castle Cup, South Africa played Swaziland in Gaborone and won 1-0 with Benson Mhlongo scoring.
Two years ago Bafana made their first visit to the kingdom and won 3-0. — Additional reporting by Mark Gleeson
High drama as Mashaba loses cool
The hastily arranged briefing in Milpark had given the gathered hacks a delightful theme – one of harmony in the national team camp after prodigal son May Mahlangu had reported for camp despite being injured.
Thulani Serero and Kamohelo Mokotjo, two players who have also had run-ins with the coach recently, were expected to arrive last night.
But Mashaba saw an opportunity to again speak directly to the critics, which he said were not in the room. “Nobody would have expected me to say this. I am Ephraim Mashaba, those who still doubt my qualities of coaching the national team are wasting time,” he said.
“People are still questioning whether I am the right person to coach this team or not. Who is the right person? I am a South African by birth. I deserve to be here and my colour does not stop me from coaching the national team. I want people to know that.”
Mashaba ended his remarks with a “thank you”, but he’d left many with questions unanswered. The coach has been under fire since Bafana’s return from the Africa Cup of Nations in Equatorial Guinea, where they failed to go past the group stages.
His tactics, especially the decision to rotate the three goalkeepers in all three matches, were questioned and led to the SA Football Association vowing to intensify its search for a technical director and playing role of mediator to bring back four overseas-based players he sidelined in Serero, Mokotjo, Mahlangu and Ayanda Patosi.
The technical director post remains vacant, while the press conference had highlighted the successful mediation process – which Mashaba overshadowed with his attacks on his detractors – ahead the two friendly matches away to Swaziland tomorrow and Nigeria in Nelspruit on Sunday.
Still, the coach will feel he might have finally gotten through to his players about their loyalty and wearing the national team jersey with pride. “But we haven’t set down with May just yet because now is not the right time. We appreciate him coming all the way even though he is injured. We will discuss all these issues when he is playing again,” said Mashaba.
Another player on the injury list is right-back Anele Ngcongca, while Dean Furman’s English-based club Doncaster asked for the midfielder to be excused so he can be available for two must-win games in their bid to gain promotion from League One. Mashaba said he would not be calling up replacements.
While Bafana have played Botswana eight times and met Lesotho on seven previous occasions, they have only taken on “Sihlangu” in four previous fixtures – three times in the regional southern African championship and once in a friendly.
Bafana have won all four previous meetings.
Amazingly it took eight years after South Africa’s admission to the African football ranks for the neighbours to meet, in a Cosafa Castle Cup match at Witbank where Delron Buckley scored both goals in a comfortable 2-0 win.
In 2002, the two countries met again in the quarterfinal of the regional championship in Polokwane where Bafana won 4-1.
In 2006, also in the Cosafa Castle Cup, South Africa played Swaziland in Gaborone and won 1-0 with Benson Mhlongo scoring.
Two years ago Bafana made their first visit to the kingdom and won 3-0. — Additional reporting by Mark Gleeson
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