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Aiming high South Africa expected to challenge for continental crownPosted: Tuesday January 15, 2002 6:06 AMJOHANNESBURG (Reuters) -- South Africa has finished first, second and third at the last three African Nations Cup finals and is hoping to get to at least the last four again. Coach Carlos Queiroz has picked his strongest possible squad, albeit with much cajoling and threatening, and although he is reluctant to make any predictions, he has set a place in the semifinals as the team's goal for the upcoming finals in Mali. Queiroz, who also qualified the South African side for the World Cup finals later this year, had first intended taking a second-string squad to the Nations Cup to prepare fringe players for possible World Cup selection later in the year and also rest key European-based players. But he miscalculated the political fallout from the announcement of his plans and came under intense criticism for his decision, later back-tracking on the idea and picking a full-strength side for Mali. But many of his key players, including captain Shaun Bartlett, were reluctant to join up with the squad because they claimed they had been promised they would be allowed to stay with their European-based clubs during the tournament and only called up for the World Cup in June. Queiroz denied having made the promises and last week the South African Football Association sought FIFA's help in persuading Bartlett, Italian-based striker Siyabonga Nomvete and the giant goalkeeper Hans Vonk, from Dutch club SC Heerenveen, to belatedly travel to South Africa for the pre-tournament training camp. Reluctant stars The players finally agreed to go to Mali but Queiroz has been accused of "dragging reluctant stars" to the African Nations Cup finals by a critical local media. The controversy has overshadowed preparations for the tournament and checked enthusiasm from supporters over the country's chances. But South Africa is still able to field a formidable team and has an experienced squad for the competition, including two players from the side that won the 1996 title. The majority of the players are based in Europe, where the likes of Sibusiso Zuma and defender Jacob Lekgetho have played regularly in the European club competition over the last year. Zuma has emerged as the new star of South African football and makes his Nations Cup debut with a mass of expectation of his shoulders. The FC Copenhagen winger leads the right hand flank of a swift South Africa attack but the team is even stronger on the left with the pace of German-based Delron Buckley and Manchester United's Quinton Fortune. Bartlett, from English Premier League club Charlton Athletic, will head the attack, having finished the last Nations Cup finals in Nigeria and Ghana two years ago as the tournament's leading goal scorer. There are also high hopes for a return to form for Benni McCarthy, who was the joint top scorer in 1998 but whose career has been in the doldrums at Celta Vigo in Spain over the last 12 months. His recent loan move to FC Porto in Portugal has seemingly revitalized his form and the 24-year-old has looked the best player in training ahead of the team's departure for Mali. South Africa opens its group B campaign against Burkina Faso and also faces Ghana and Morocco in its opening round group matches in Segou. Bafana Bafana have an unbeaten record against all three countries. Quieroz could enjoy finest hourSouth African coach Carlos Queiroz has experience of working on four different continents but goes to a major championship for the first time when he leads his team into the African Nations Cup finals. In some ways the experience should be a good rehearsal for the World Cup finals in the summer, and if South Africa enjoy luck as well as sustain a rich vein of form, he could even go to Asia as coach of the African champion. The 46-year-old is a former national coach of Portugal and the United Arab Emirates and also worked with clubs in Japan and the United States. He is better known for leading Portugal's under-20 team to success in the world youth championships twice in 1989 and 1991 and spurning a new generation of stars including World Footballer of the Year Luis Figo. Queiroz, who was born in Mozambique when it was still a Portuguese colony, has been in charge of South Africa since September 2000 and has a contract that runs until end of this year's World Cup finals in South Korea and Japan. He coached Portugal from 1991 to 1993 and then Sporting Lisbon before embarking on an international journey that has taken in the New York-New Jersey MetroStars in the U.S. and Japan's Nagoya Grampus Eight. He spent a year in the United Arab Emirates serving as national coach until 1999. Zuma has chance to shineFlying winger Sibusiso Zuma has become a major target for leading European clubs in recent months and is intent on further enhancing his credentials at the African Nations Cup finals. Zuma has emerged as the new star of South African soccer with his performances for the national team, Bafana Bafana, over the last 12 months and the glowing reports of his form in Denmark at FC Copenhagen. Zuma has been the subject of offers from clubs in both England and Italy after helping his club win the Danish league and in the process earn him the awards as the league's best player. But he says he wants to spend one more season in Denmark before moving to a stronger club. He was also a frequent scorer for the club in the early rounds of the Champions League and later the UEFA Cup this season, where Copenhagen progressed to the third round. Zuma, 26, will be making his African Nations Cup finals debut but has already earned 17 caps for South Africa. He started his career at Durban club African Wanderers before moving to Orlando Pirates and then Denmark.
Copyright 2003 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. |
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