IT'S BEEN A CRAZY WEEK! Dean Furman on beating Spain for South Africa - and Yeovil for Doncaster. And his first EVER red card!

Iniesta in my pocket: Dean Furman

DEAN FURMAN was in the passport control queue when I got hold of him last week after South Africa’s epic 1-0 win over world champions Spain.

With the new FIFA rankings out on Thursday, 61^st-placed Bafana are expected to move up in the world, but for the 25-year-old Cape Town-born midfielder, this was simply: “One of the highlights of my career. A night I’ll never forget.”

Speaking on my football show BOLLOCKZ! on www.ballz.co.za, Furman laughed loudly when I suggested he had to allow Barcelona great Andres Iniesta out of his pocket for a second-half substitution.

Furman marshalled the World Cup winning Spaniards with some authority and Iniesta – scorer of the winning goal in the final at Soccer City in 2010 – was unable to repeat his heroics at the same stadium with Oupa Manyisa and Andile Jali creating a dynamic midfield trio for the first time.

Though our chat with Furman was rudely interrupted by passport control at Heathrow, his enthusiasm sparkled down the long-distance line.

With Furman and Bongani Khumalo playing for Doncaster Rovers and striker Tokelo Rantie now at Bournemouth, South Africa’s epic victory sparked interested in England too with Furman admitting: “Everone is talking about Bafana now. I’m still scratching my head about how we actually did it but in all honesty we played very well on the night.

“We had a game plan, we sat back and let the Spanish have it in their own half and when they came into ours, we pressed them, tried to catch them on the counter. We’ve got some great players going forward, with real pace.

“We knew that would cause them some problems on the night.

“Up against Alonso, Iniesta, Busquets, then Mata and Cazorla, it didn’t get an easier the whole night but it was a great spectacle, great to come up with a win.

“Against players like that you have to raise your game. Their movement off the ball is spectacular, they’re so clever. Communicating with each other was vital.

“It was unbelievable. For a very proud nation, there have been some disappointments, going out on penalties in the AFCON, not qualifying for the World Cup.

“This was a victory for the fans, the nation. The supporters were all coming up to thank us. It was a great moment for everyone. We can really build from here.”

Furman, who scored before being sent off in his first game back with Doncaster against Yeovil last Friday, grinned: “It’s been a crazy week Neal, great to get a goal and three points but gutted to get my first red!”

BOLLOCKZ! my show on www.ballz.co.za, airs every Thursday from 9am. See the Ballz channel on www.YouTube.com for our growing collection of interviews with the big names in South African football.

You can also follow me on www.twitter.com/nealcol for all the latest sports news… and read my “Neal and Pray” column every Tuesday in www.thenewage.co.za.

BOLLOCKZ! is backed by www.topodds.com - have a look at their site for my latest sports betting advice and how we are doing in using @thumperpigeon's R5,000 to make money for the Ball's charity WINGZ OF CHANGE.

Moeneeb Josephs and Benni McCarthy: the facts. If you want the truth, ask Benni

Finders keepers: Khune and Josephs

BENNI McCARTHY has had a hard time this week. Surprising really. Last Saturday his two superb goals – a thumping header and a devastating free-kick – won the ABSA Premier League title for Orlando Pirates at a throbbing Moses Mabhida stadium in Durban.

But just when you thought Benni, who arrived back on these shores last winter after perhaps the most horrific West Ham career in history, was ready to be crowned a hero, here he is, tweeting: “Unbelievable how much stick I’m getting for Moeneeb pulling out of Bafana. Why do people hate so much? Just respect his decision please.”

Well, yes, of course we will respect the international retirement of one Moeneeb Josephs, the Orlando Pirates goalkeeper. In a statement released on Wednesday morning, the 32-year-old from Cape Town proclaimed: “It is with a heavy heart, and after careful consideration and discussion with both my family and manager, that I have elected to retire from international football with immediate effect.”

 “At the age of 32, keeping in mind the injuries that I have sustained, together with my desire to prolong my career, and considering the fantastic young goalkeepers in our country, I believe that it is the correct time to ‘step aside’.

“In addition, I have spent very little time with my family in recent years, and I believe this decision will give me the opportunity to do so.”

It’s that kind of moving, selfless explanation of his shock retirement from Pitso Mosimane’s World Cup qualifying squad which might reduce the average Ghostly Sea Robber to tears.

If… and it’s a big IF… you hadn’t read team-mate McCarthy’s quotes early on the same day.

Remember, Josephs made his Bafana debut against Zimbabwe in 2003 – but he’s only won 22 caps in the last nine years as Itumeleng Khune blocks the path to Pitso’s No1 jersey.

Even when he turned out against the Ivory Coast and Zimbabwe last year when everyone else was pulling out, “Slimkat” found himself dumped for the Nelson Mandela Challenge in Port Elizabeth at the end of February when Kaizer Chiefs stopped Khune returned from injury (not just any injury, he had four months with pneumonia and a “groin strain”) against Senegal.

With those facts clear in our minds, here’s what Benni told the Star’s Jonty Mark as the Buccaneers bus whizzed around Johannesburg showing off the latest Piratical haul of PSL, Telkom Cup and MTN Supereight trophies.

“Moeneeb is my roommate and he was asking me for my input, and I said ‘You are on your own, I don’t want to advise you, make your decision, and whatever you decide I am behind you’. When he explained his reasons the man just broke down crying.

“I tried to put myself in his shoes, and if I was in his shoes I would have done exactly the same thing. If I feel I am doing more than enough to at least earn a chance to be number one, and I am not being selected as the number one striker… I would pull myself out of the race as well.

 “You do everything possible to fight for the number one spot, but you know yourself you are never going to get the number one, because it’s fairly clear it’s Itumeleng Khune.

 “Khune’s a great goalkeeper who’s worked hard but you have to make it open for everyone to fight for the No1. It’s clearly not like that, it’s plain to see that the manager has his ideas of who is the No1, irrespective of other great goalkeepers around.

“So, in an act of frustration, you retire. It is better to continue to do what makes you happy, to play football, club football. I think it’s sad Moeneeb has pulled out of the national team, he’s an absolute gem. I hope people won’t hate him.”

Of course, with Benni’s quotes having appeared on Wednesday morning, the Josephs statement fell flat. It didn't help that "Slimkat" had blundered so badly for the Dylan Sheppard goal in their title-winning 4-2 against Golden Arrows last Saturday.
As a result, the social networks launched various assaults on McCarthy, suggesting he’d “persuaded” Josephs to quit his country, that he should keep his mouth shut and stay out of these things.

Benni, who often let Bafana down during his career in Europe, found himself under huge pressure – so much so that he volunteered to appear on Robert Marawa’s Thursday night live tonight on SS4 to set the record straight.

I’ll add those quotes later. But for now, let’s have a bit of sanity here. Benni didn’t lie. He simply outlined Moeneeb’s difficult situation and the reasons for his international retirement with far more honestly than Josephs’ statement did.

Benni, appearing on Marawa’s Thursday night live, made light his exclusion from Pitso’s latest squad. At 34 he was left out while another striker of the same age – PSL top scorer Siyabonga Nomvethe of Moroka Swallows – enjoyed a recall.

He chose instead to offer this: “Coming from a place like Hanover Park and to go to Ajax Amsterdam, such a great club, that has to be the highlight of my career.”

Then, asked if he influenced Moeneeb’s decision, Benni said: “I can’t even influence my own little kids! How can I influence an adult? Bafana has got nothing to do with me. I don’t talk about that to anyone.

“I’m always there to support. He came to tell me the situation. Moeneeb explained what happened and that was it.

“My advice? Whatever he decides, the team will stick with him. I didn’t say he did the right thing or the wrong thing. That’s not my place.

“He’s one of my closest friends in the team.”

Frank. Honest. Typical of Benni. Look, McCarthy doesn’t deserve criticism for revealing his pal Moeneeb’s agony. He deserves a medal. If you want to know the truth about South African football, listen to Benni. He tells it like it is.

Crystal Palace won't dig deep for Gould... but mighty Morgan will dig deeper for a European future

SuperSports United centre-back Morgan Gould remained stoically upbeat after his surprise rejection at the hands of English Championship club Crystal Palace yesterday.

The 28-year-old flew home to Oliver Tambo International after his two weeks in South London insisting he “definitely” still wants to play in Europe, adding: “I’ve learned a lot from this experience.”

Gould , in man-of-the-match form when South Africa fought out a 0-0 draw against seven-times African champions Egypt in Cairo last month, was generally “impressive” on trial with the championship club in pre-season friendlies against Basingstoke and Wycombe Wanderers.

And with Bafana Bafana team-mate Kagisho Dikgachoi already at Selhurst Park after his move from Fulham, Morgan’s £500,000 transfer well within the bounds of most Championship clubs. Effectively the English second division, the Championship (18,106) is officially the sixth best-supported league in the world after Germany’s Bundesliga (42,673), the English Premier League (34,780), Spain’s La Liga (29,124), Italy’s Serie A (25,304) and France’s Ligue 1 (19,742).

But the Croydon Advertiser, the local “bible” for Palace fans, quoted Palace boss Dougie Friedman as saying yesterday: "Morgan did very well but at the price they were after I just felt he wasn't quite right for us.

“We're working to a very tight budget and at that price he would have had to go straight into the team and 'm not sure he was quite ready for that."

But when Gould arrived on trial, the Advertiser wrote: “Palace have only one recognised central defender in their ranks – and that is the error-prone Paddy McCarthy. A new man at the back is very much needed.”

Gould himself, talking to London-based former Johannesburg football writer Ed Aarons, said: “I most definitely still want to play in Europe.

“I’ll have to go back to South Africa and wait to hear if there are any other options. But it was a good experience that I will learn a lot from.

“We had a meeting today and Dougie said he likes everything he has seen but they need a player who can adapt quickly to the league. They are looking for someone who is experienced in playing in Europe so I have to respect that and move on now. Everything that happens to me I take it as a learning curve.”

On their fan site, Palace fan Lewisham Eagle wrote: “From what I read into that Dougie seems interested in Gould but wants to drive to price down.” EagleNut wrote: “We won't be signing Gould - DF thinks the price is too high and he 'isn't ready' for the first team.”

Prior to Gould’s rejection, Palace fans were being advised to stock up on blue and red vuvuzelas and rename one end at Selhurst Park “The Nelson Mandela Stand” in honour of KG (not many south Londoners can pronounce Dikgachoi) and Gould.

Palace were plunged into a financial crisis when colourful chairman Simon Jordan left after the club went into administration last year – they eventually avoided relegation by six points - but they still managed to pay around the same fee (5.3 million South African rand at yesterday’s rates) for midfielder Dikgachoi.

Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur paid £1.5m (around R16m) for Gould’s centre-back partner Bongani Khumalo last January and he has yet to play for the first team, though he has played in both Spurs’ Vodacom challenge matches in South Africa over the past week.

Just 24 hours before deciding to ditch Gould, Friedman saw Soweto-born 28-year-old who started out at Jomo Cosmos impress in a 0-0 pre-season draw at League One outfit Wycombe Wanderers. He said then: “Morgan has done fantastically well but I think it is only right I talk to the kid before I make any statement.

"It's hard to judge, but he's been with us for a week and we know what we're after. You do your homework and you'll see the signings I bring in will be the right type, the right age, the right profile and he fits all of that.

"So he's done alright but we'll have a chat with him tomorrow and see.

"There's a long, long way to go. There is a fee involved and before we can even go anywhere we'd have to get the right deal. We'll see."

Gould, capped 17 times by South Africa, will return to pre-season training with Supersports United next week. Boss Gavin Hunt may well be breathing a huge sigh of relief over Friedman’s harsh decision to return his captain. Matsatsantsa (The Swanky Boys) struggled in the South African Premier League last season, failing by a substantial margin to maintain the standards which led to three successive South African Premier League titles in 2008, 2009 and 2010.

Keep up with all the latest sports news at www.neal-collins.blogspot.com and www.twitter.com/nealcol.

.