Repeat performance

Second finals appearance for South Africa

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) -- South Africa's second World Cup appearance since the fall of the racist apartheid regime comes only a decade after the once-pariah nation returned to international sports.

The team known as Bafana Bafana, or "the boys," scaled the heights of African soccer soon after the advent of democracy eight years ago, winning the 1996 African Cup of Nations and briefly rising to the top 20 of FIFA's world rankings.

Then-President Nelson Mandela celebrated with the team as captain Neil Tovey hoisted aloft the trophy in front of a delirious home crowd, an achievement surpassed two years later when the South Africans qualified for their first World Cup finals.

Although the team performed adequately in France, it crashed out in the first round after failing to win a match. In the following four years, a series of unconvincing performances and some administrative wrangling has left the South Africans confused in the locker room and on the field.

The man who guided them to success in 1996, coach Clive Barker, was fired after a poor performance in the 1997 Confederations Cup. Since then, the team has labored under a succession of coaches, none of whom has seemed to be able to direct the deep talent of the South Africans.

With almost xenophobic glee, Frenchman Phillipe Troussier was fired after what was perceived as the team's failure in the 1998 World Cup. He has gone on to polish co-hosts Japan into shape for this year's finals.

Portuguese coach Carlos Queiroz, who steered Portugal to the world under-20 championship title in 1991, was at the helm of the team as it did poorly in the 2002 African Cup in Mali.

The South African Football Association appointed local "technical advisers" essentially to keep Queiroz under homegrown surveillance. He quit.

Recently appointed coach Jomo Sono has said experiments with players and formation is the main reason behind his team's poor form in the buildup to the World Cup.

Many of these experiments involved giving players who ply their trade in South Africa's local leagues the chance to show their stuff. But the result of these experiments has been a series of lackluster performances that included a 1-0 loss to lowly Saudi Arabia, a 4-0 drubbing at the hands of Georgia, and a 0-0 draw with the part-timers of neighboring Botswana.

South Africa was able to salvage something from the Botswana match, winning in a penalty shoot-out.

However, with more and more key players now competing in the European leagues, Sono should be able to replace some of the local talent with the skills of his foreign contingent.

Players like Sibusiso Zuma, Delron Buckley, Siyabonga Nomvete and captain Shaun Bartlett are emerging as the new generation of potential winners for the country.

Among the South African-based players, Mbulelo Oldjohn Mabizela, Jabu Pule, Thabo Mngomeni and Lesley Manyathela stand out. The combination of their skills and competitive drive could be potent.

The Bafana Bafana coach has given a clue to his thoughts on selection policy, hinting there could be places for Bartlett and veteran defender Mark Fish, who was ignored by Queiroz. Both players play for English Premiership side Charlton Athletic and have been struggling with injuries.

There is also the comforting prospect of the return from injury of veteran defender Lucas Radebe, a former national captain.

The South Africans will be based in the small South Korean city of Kangnung during the first round of the World Cup for their group B matches against Paraguay, Slovenia and Spain.

Bafana Bafana will travel to Busan on June 2 for their game against Paraguay, then meet the Slovenes in Daegu on June 8 in what is seen as a must-win match for the team's hopes of qualifying for the later rounds.

The final match of the opening campaign is against Spain on June 12. Spain is one of Europe's soccer enigmas, and South Africa stands little chance of taking any points from the encounter.

 

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