La 3e Orange Championnat d’Afrique des Nations 2014: Will CHAN be a four-letter word for Gordon Igesund

Under pressure: Bafana Head Coach Gordon Igesund

CHAN. A year ago nobody knew what those four letters meant. Now they spell danger for South Africa coach Gordon Igesund.

Officially, CHAN is a shortening of “La 3e Orange Championnat d’Afrique des Nations 2014” an African Championship for home-based players – no of those highly-paid stars from Europe allowed.

On the surface of it, the tournament sounds a great idea and for the long-suffering Igesund, fresh from that earth-shaking win over FIFA’s No1 Spain.

Who could ask for more: Orlando Pirates have just reached the final of the African Champions League, our glittering PSL is considered the richest league in Africa and Bafana get to play at the magnificent Cape Town Stadium, where fans turn up to watch paint dry.

But the chance of an international football tournament being won on home soil for the first time since 1996 has been shaken by that unseemly spat between SAFA, the PSL and our greatest footballing franchise, Kaizer Chiefs.

We all know the details. The PSL dumped the top-of-the-table clash between Mamelodi Sundowns and Chiefs slap bang in the middle of the CHAN tournament and despite an agreement forged with SAFA, Bobby Motaung (and quietly, Jose Ferreira) threatened to withdraw their stars.

But following Saturday’s sparkling statement of patriotic fervour from SAFA, all 23 members of the squad were present and correct before the opening CHAN clash against Mozambique on January 11. Kaizer over-ruled Bobby. Hooray!

But wait. The fact is Igesund now finds himself under huge pressure to emerge from Group A (Mali and AFCON champions Nigeria complete the group) before surging to CHAN silverware. It feels like South Africa has bent over backwards for SAFA and the nation is demanding the ultimate result.

But the truth is, this is not a great Bafana squad. Orlando Pirates? Their African crusaders weren’t even considered. Our talented foreign contingent, as per the rules, are absent.

Igesund, rather than turn to the Amajita who recently won the COSAFA Under 20 tournament under Ephraim Shakes Mashaba in Lesotho, finds himself trying to persuade his aging squad to overcome all obstacles. Anything less and the calls for his head will rise to a crescendo despite THAT glorious triumph over Spain (which has actually seen Bafana slip one place to 62 in the FIFA rankings).

Igesund himself is full of platitudes: “At the end of the day this is our national team; it’s the national team for the people. We want to do well, try and get as many players as we can to compete and win things.

“We are trying to change the mentality of the people out there. We want to start having a winning mentality.”

The truth is, Gordon, it’s win or bust. Selecting the old favourites and forcing them to play in the middle of an already chaotic PSL season without drafting in a few promising youngsters could spell trouble. Serious trouble.


BOLLOCKZ! my own football show on www.ballz.co.za, restarts after the Christmas break on 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 Ballz charity WINGZ OF CHANGE.

An air of resignation: The son goes down as Kaizer Chiefs stars finally join the Bafana squad

Family business: Kaizer and Bobby

In the real world when a junior official publicly contradicts his well-loved Chief Executive Officer, the axe falls with alarming speed.

At Kaizer Chiefs, when Football Manager Bobby Motaung attempts to tear up the agreement set by his father Kaizer – the club’s owner – a stony silence falls.

We know Bobby well. In theory. I’ve spoken to his brother Junior and his sisters Jessica and Kemiso. But somehow I’ve never got through to the oldest surviving brother in the Motaung clan.

We know that he refused to resign a couple of years ago, saying he didn’t need to a CV to get the job under his father: “This is a family business,” he told us "I will be here as long as this company exists."

Then there were the TWO arrests over the Mbombela Stadium scandal. I spoke to Paul Ramaloko, the Hawks captain, after the bizarre episode at Nelspruit Magistrates Court when he arrested Bobby for the second time as he left court following a preliminary hearing.

At the time, and I remember it well, I asked Paul if there was anything he could add to the story, recognising how difficult prosecuting the son of the nation’s most popular footballer would be. Captain Ramaloko’s reply remains etched in my mind: “Neal, do you really think I would do this without a watertight case against him?”

But of course, when the charges of fraud, corruption and forgery came to court, magistrate Roelf Smith removed the case from the roll as "he could see no progress being made". The case - and two deaths linked to the Mbombela Stadium debacle - remain undealt with, hanging like a sword of Damocles over South Africa’s national game.

This is what I wrote at the time: http://neal-collins.blogspot.com/2013/06/charges-dropped-sorry-bobby-motaung.html.

Throughout all that, Bobby remained in place. Acting not just as Football Manager or Kaizer Chiefs but as a makeshift spokesman for the club, an enforcer, the man who made all the transfers. There was the bizarre severing of ties with the popular former captain Jimmy Tau too.

After long-term injury, Jimmy had been told by double-winning coach Stuart Baxter that he would get a new contract at the club as he fought his way back to fitness and played a couple of reserve games at the end of last season.

But almost as soon as Baxter’s flight had departed for an off-season break in Britain, Bobby summoned Jimmy and told him his services were no longer required. That story is documented HERE http://neal-collins.blogspot.com/2013/06/discarded-by-kaizer-chiefs-jimmy-tau.html.

But all this pales into insignificance in the light of the events of the past fortnight. After his father Kaizer, along with Sundowns supremo Patrice Motsepe, had agreed to release his players to Bafana Bafana for the CHAN tournament in January, Bobby immediately came out and said Chiefs would do no such thing.

Earlier this week he released a further statement through the club’s website insisting no AmaKhosi stars would be release until AFTER the top-of-the-table clash against Mamelodi Sundowns on January 23. With the tournament starting in Cape Town on January 11, that would have left South Africa's squad five short throughout the group stages.

With dangerous neighbours Mozambique, Mali and reigning African champions Nigeria to play in Group A, that would have been simply unacceptable.

And with Gordon Igesund’s squad of 23 already officially submitted, SAFA president Danny Jordaan had no choice but to insist the five Chiefs players should be there from the start. On the telephone to me on Thursday night, he said he had written to FIFA, he insisted it was possible to get the five Chiefs players banned for the Sundowns game.

And of course, with Sundowns doing the honourable thing and releasing their players for CHAN, Chiefs – and the grand old man Kaizer – were forced in to a corner. Chincha Guluva, as always, did the honourable thing and promised to release his players as he had agreed in a tele-conference with SAFA three weeks ago.

Jordaan’s Saturday statement – including the line “Our gratitude goes out to Mr Kaizer Motaung and Kaizer Chiefs for their long-standing and unstinting support of the national team” – is clearly placatory, in the interests of the nation.

The social networks will debate the rights and wrongs of the situation until the cows come home, but the fact is Bobby publicly contradicted – even embarrassed – his father with his outspoken rebuttal of the CHAN policy agreed with SAFA, the game’s ruling body.

It’s fair to say Bidvest Wits only released their players late too. And that Orlando Pirates have somehow escaped the entire debacle while their chairman, also in charge of the PSL, was never asked to explain how Chiefs v Sundowns found its way on to the fixture list in mid-CHAN.

But those are side issues. In the real world, Bobby would be forced to resign. In our little world, the son of the boss will no doubt carry on without a CV or an apology. And that simply can’t be right.

BOLLOCKZ! my own football show on www.ballz.co.za, restarts after the Christmas break on 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 Ballz charity WINGZ OF CHANGE.

No Pirates, No Chiefs, No Sundowners. Gordon Igesund's African Nations Championship plans in disarray

Trouble brewing: Gordon Igesund's Cup of
Coffee approach may not work this time

The traditional Christmas “ho, ho, ho” has been notably absent in the Igesund household since Friday.

Bafana Bafana head coach Gordon Igesund’s preparations for the African Nations Championship were thrown in to disarray at the end of last week when the PSL shook up their January fixtures, a move which is likely to leave hosts South Africa with a severely depleted squad.

Igesund, who’s never been one to mince his words, is supposed to name his 23-man squad for the CHAN tournament tomorrow. He growled: “There is nothing we can do. I have to prepare for this tournament not knowing who I can pick. It’s not an ideal situation.”

The CHAN tournament – limited to players from the domestic leagues around Africa – should have been a showcase for South African football’s resurgence and the PSL, recognised as one of the most lucrative leagues on the continent.

Bafana will play all their Group A games at the Cape Town Stadium, starting with Mozambique on January 11, then Mali on the 15^thand Nigeria on the 19th. The final is scheduled for Cape Town again on February 1.

With Orlando Pirates reaching the African Champions League Final against Egypt’s Al Ahly, the tournament was seen as perfectly timed for Igesund to continue the nation’s footballing revival after the rousing 1-0 win over world No 1 Spain.

Instead, it appears Bafana will have little chance against the likes of Nigeria, Libya, Congo and Ghana in a 16-team tournament which is NOT being played on FIFA dates, allowing clubs to withdraw their players at will.

Igesund explains: “Look, we had come to a compromise. There was the orginal agreement where I was told I couldn’t pick players from Pirates, Ajax Cape Town, SuperSport United and AmaZulu because they would be playing league games.

“Now we have these new fixtures and I can’t even comment on it.”

The PSL fixtures now rule out participation from the PSL’s top two sides, Mamelodi Sundowns and Kaizer Chiefs, which this statement of explanation offered on Friday: “Due to the heavy backlog created by the progression of Orlando Pirates in the Champion League, it was decided postponed matches would be played in January to avoid fixture congestion.

“In addition, both Chiefs and SuperSport will be playing in the 2014 CAF Champions League and Confederations Cup in February.”

Dominic Chimhavi, the SAFA spokesman, clearly aligns himself with Igesund: “We expect the original agreement to stand and we don’t expect anybody to abrogate it. Only Pirates, Amazulu, Ajax and SuperSport should be affected.

“This is the second biggest tournament on the continent as as hosts, we have to use our best players on home soil.”

With a friendly against Botswana including a three-day camp planned to culminate on Saturday, Igesund said: “I submitted a list of 23 players to the Danny Jordaan last week. He went into a meeting with the PSL and I’m waiting to hear the outcome of that. I need clarity, but from what I can tell, there has been a compromise. It’s been a big challenge because I’ve already changed my team five or six times.”

If the PSL refuse to relent, Igesund could turn to a few of the old guard – particularly Matthew Booth and Moeneeb Josephs, who have helped make third-placed BidestWits the best defence in the PSL this season.

But dreams of a super-team from the top echelon of the PSL appear to be in tatters. Still, it could be worse. Last I heard, Steve Keshi’s Nigeria haven’t even got kit to play in at CHAN.

BOLLOCKZ! my own football 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 Ballz charity WINGZ OF CHANGE.

EXCLUSIVE: SAFA PRESIDENT DANNY JORDAAN: Bafana will not lose ranking points. I can promise you that

Gord's sake: Igesund's response to Spain's 7th sub

UPDATE: Since this story/video (which attracted worldwide attention), FIFA have issued THIS statement: "Fifa can confirm it did not give special dispensation to make up to seven substitutions at the Trinidad & Tobago v England friendly match played on Sunday 1 June 2008.

"The referee of this match confirmed to Fifa that he received no instruction to allow for such a special dispensation, but that it had been a mistake by the referee.
 
"As Fifa has received no official protest regarding this match, it shall be considered as an official match."

SAFA president Danny Jordaan moved swiftly this morning to dispel any doubts about South Africa’s historic win over world champions Spain, insisting: “We will NOT lose rankings points because they used a seventh substitute. I can promise you that.”

Jordaan, talking on my football show BOLLOCKZ! on Ballz visual radio (see video below), said: “It is not Spain’s game, it was not authorised by them, it was authorised by FIFA.

“FIFA recognised this match in terms of their statutes, including displaying the World Cup. Was there a violation of FIFA statutes? Absolutely not. The match commissioner’s report and the referee’s report makes that clear.

“The only issue is, did the referee err? Will FIFA be able to reclassify the match based on that error? Look at history, Maradona’s hand against England, the ref ruled it a goal. Did FIFA take the goal away and make it a practice match? NO!

“In Bloemfontein in 2010, when Frank Lampard’s goal clearly went over the line for England against Germany, did FIFA change that decision and reclassify the game? No.

“And when England played Trinidad and Tobago who used seven substitutes, did they change the game to a practice game? No.  It counted for ranking points. Referee’s error.

“Where is that example when, based on a referee’s decision, a match was reclassified? It has never happened.

“It was a wonderful night for South African football. But we are strange in this country, amongst joy we are looking for pain. FIFA have said nothing, the media took this matter wherever they took it. It’s not going to happen.

“The referee was not entitled to allow that decision (allowing Pep Reina to go in goal as Spain’s seventh sub), the match is recognised by FIFA, by SAFA, by CAF. We have not violated any regulations. In fact, Gordon Igesund clearly demonstrated his displeasure at what he saw as Spain’s breach of agreed rules.

“We are clear. We have complied. We beat Spain 1-0. A referee’s error cannot be the basis for reclassifying a match.”

And with South Africa seeking a replacement for Puma as their kit sponsors, Danny grinned: “Of course, this result is absolutely huge. It’s good news. It has already secured meetings and we will start next week the process of speaking to new sponsors.”

 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.

“ 

Time to support our Bafana Republic. Three against Swaziland is fine. Anything less than a stuffing against Spain will do me

The face of Mr Price: Thabo Nthethe was captain for the
night in Swaziland - and scored his first Bafana goal

Let's get this clear from the start. I have a  problem with pessimists in our Bafana Republic (isn’t that what Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula called us last week?).

Just for starters, how about those twits calling for Kaizer Chiefs coach Stuart Baxter’s head less than half a season after he became the first foreign coach to win the PSL (and he added the Nedbank Cup double).

They want Baxter out despite making the inspired subsitutions (George Lebese and Lehlohonolo Majoro) to clinch a tricky encounter against Gavin Hunt's Bidvest Wits last week.

And then there are those whinging about Roger De Sa, preferring to focus on Drawlando rather than celebrating the presence of a South African club in the African Champions League final for the first time in a decade. Nonsense. It's not like there are any great contenders to replace the boss at EITHER of the Soweto giants.

And then we come to Bafana. It started within five minutes of the kick-off on the plastic surface of the Somhlolo Stadium on Saturday night.

Our national coach Gordon Igesund was accused of EVERYTHING from a lack of imagination to a one-eyed selection policy. After months of agreeing not to choose pre-occupied Pirates, he filled his squad with Buccaneers and STILL nobody was happy.

It’s madness guys. As Manchester United fans will tell you, keeping faith in a coach is a vital part of any successful football set-up.

I tweeted frantically “keep the faith” though I too was surprised by some of the selections, particularly Thabo Nthethe, playing for leaky Bloemfontein Celtic but made national captain for the night. Apparently it has something to do with his new role as “The Face of Mr Price Sport”.

But after a dreadful first half, Bafana changed things. Igesund said afterwards: “We wanted to start strongly but they parked the bus, put a lot of players behind the ball. We had a chat at half-time about how to get behind them, it worked.”

It sure did. Two goals in as many minutes from Reneilwe “YeahYeah” Letsholonyane and young Bongani Zungu were followed by a well-struck goal from Nthethe himself, his first in national colours.

Could we have asked for anything more? Gordon admitted: “We did want to go for a 4^th, 5^th and 6^th but overall I’m happy with the way we played. We pushed it about, we kept the ball.”

A bit of loyalty, a bit of belief wouldn’t go astray when it comes to Igesund, who capped his 90^th player in just over a year on Friday night as he shuffled the pack for the home-based CHAN tournament early next year.

And of course it’s all change at Soccer City on Tuesday night when World and European champions Spain return to the site of their 2010 World Cup triumph.

Gordon points out: “I’ve got the overseas contingent coming to join us, there will be changes. But I may bring in another one of those who played tonight. I’m worried about Thabo Matlaba's injury. I’ve got two left-backs out now, with Tsepo Masilela – but Nthethe can play there too.”

Swaziland, ranked 183 in the world, may prove a tad less tough than Spaniards, ranked at No1 since 2008. But Gordon remains hopeful. Just wish the rest of our football-speaking nation would join him. Anything less than a stuffing would be okay by me.

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.

EXCLUSIVE: Gordon Igesund: The Master Plan that will put Bafana among the world's top 20 - and Africa's TOP THREE

GORDON IGESUND is ready to unveil his “master plan” with new SAFA president Danny Jordaan – and he firmly believes he can put South African football in the world’s top 20.

Currently ranked 61st by FIFA and cruelly forced out of the World Cup by Ethiopia, Igesund was eager to appear on my football show BOLLOCKZ! to reassure Bafana fans: “We are on the right track. It won’t happen overnight, but we will reap the benefits.”

With detractors suggesting Puma had ended their sponsorship of Bafana yesterday – they actually announced their termination on January 4 this year - Igesund insists: “It’s been a very tough year but the national team has come on in leaps and bounds, we need to put things in perspective.

“When you really start looking at the whole situation, one can see there’s been huge improvement. Over the last year we’ve restored pride and passion in the team. A lot of commitment from the players.

“Previously it was just a static situation, the same group of players playing every week for Bafana. We’ve introduced a lot of young players to the squad, our technical team has worked hard to find them.”

Turning specifically to last Friday’s 1-1 draw against Morocco in Agadir, where a packed house of 46,000 were celebrating the opening of a glittering new stadium, Igesund pointed out: “Against a team with a lot of good players from Spain and Germany, people who play against players like Ronaldo and Messi every week, we put up a performance.

“Passion, commitment. It makes me happy. We had two 20-year-olds, two 21-year-olds. It wasn’t actually a well-drilled team, it was our first match together. Playing for your national team should be the ultimate for any player.

“Now I’m getting emails from South Africans all over the world. Players who play in the Scottish Second Division asking me to keep an eye on their performances.”

Appointed last year after disappointing World Cup Group A draws against Ethiopia at home and Botswana away, Igesund – the only man to win the domestic PSL title with four different clubs – reflects: “Overall it’s been a great year. Very positive things have happened. It’s not easy to go to Morocco, they were desperate to win. My centre-halves had never played together before. These things take time.

“There were five or six players who had never played together before. There was a period when we were playing the ball around, their fans starting applauding us.

“We’ve got a new identity now. The same style, philosophy, we want to attack teams. We’re scoring goals. I’m happy with the way things are going but there is an awful lot of work still to do.

“The big problem is development. Imagine if our youngsters had played in Under 17, Under 20 teams. Some of these guys? It was their first taste of international fooball at any level

“We need to develop players for the national team. They’ve had to come straight in to the Bafana line-up.

“Our Under 17s and Under 20s aren’t active at the moment. But we’re working on that. We need players coming through who know how to react, know their role. It’s not easy but we’re getting there.

“We need to make sure our players are involved in FIFA competitions, play in Europe, play the German Under 23 team. Gain that experience. That’s what’s important.

“That’s all going to happen. The announcement of our new Under 17 and Under 23 coaches will happen in the next couple of weeks. We want a youngster of 21 to have played 30 games for Bafana.

“We acknowledge things haven’t been done properly in recent years. We have to stop the quick-fix. Look for long term solutions. But it takes time.

“The structures are all in place, we just have to make the announcement. Kagiso Nthle is only 19. He needs to grow up playing against players like Ronaldo, Under 15, Under 17, eventually they get to the senior national team and THEY KNOW. They can mark him, they can do this.

“It’s all very exciting but it’s not going to happen overnight. In five or six years, we’ll see the benefits. There’s another group of players out there we don’t know about. Players who are going to be the superstars, as we’re talking, 20 youngsters of 15 or 16 with tremendous ability. We have to develop them.

“We need top quality coaches, the school football, the amateurs at grass roots level. Even from nine years old. Real Madrid have just beaten Barcelona to sign a NINE YEAR OLD! That’s what we need to be doing.

“Time flies. He’s NINE now, but in five years he’s a professional signing for a club. We were isolated for many years, now we have to find these players.

“I can talk about it with you for hours and hours, but we have to put it into practice, which we haven’t done for years.

“Every player who plays for Bafana HAS to come through our structures. Our AFCON and COSAFA squads? We had 17 players who had NEVER played for Bafana at any other level.

“Our football will be among the best in the world. We have the players, with touch, mobility. They need good coaching. They need these structures. But it’s not going to happen overnight. We have to start the process now. This is why we are where we are right now.

“When I read the Sports Minister’s comments, I was very pleased about this. Everyone can see the national team has come on in leaps and bounds. I enjoy criticism, football is about opinions, but reall and truly, we are on the right track now.

“We’ve got tough times ahead of us, but after that, our country will benefit. We’ll be in the top 20 in the world, the top three in Africa.

“Sometime in the future there has to be an African winner of the World Cup. Why can’t that be South Africa?”

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 inwww.thenewage.co.za.

BOLLOCKZ! is backed by www.topodds.com - have a look at their site for my latest sports betting advice!

One mediocre question for Mike Makaab: Who best represents the future of South African football: Thabo Nthethe, 28 or Siyanda Xulu, 21?

Getting shirty: ProSport International CEO Mike Makaab

MEDIOCRE. Definition: Moderate in quality; ordinary. See synonyms at AVERAGE.

[French médiocre, from Latin mediocris : medius, middle; see medhyo]

Thank you Mr Dick Shunary. So when I said last Saturday that I was shocked the “mediocre Thabo Nthethe” had been selected to play for South Africa ahead of Siyanda Xulu, I was a little miffed when THIS turned up, publicly on my twitter  timeline from Mike Makaab: “I'm surprised at your comment about Nthethe Neal!”

Yup, five days after the event, Makaab chose to chew me out because I’d described Nthethe as average. Born in Bloemfontein, the 28-year-old is a seasoned PSL defender for Bloemfontein Celtic with 15 caps for Bafana Bafana. I have no beef with Makaab’s client or his enduring role with the Siwelele.

I explained the tweet was aimed not at damaging Nthethe but to illustrate my surprise at the decision not to use Siyanda Xulu at centre-back, given that – like the controversially expelled Thulani Serero – he had been flown in (business class, at a cost of over R60,000) from Russia for what might have been a vital World Cup qualifier against Botswana.

Against Nigeria, the centre-back pairing of Nthethe and Tower Mathoho had been picked apart. Xulu hadn’t even had a call from Bafana for that high-powered Madiba birthday friendly, I spoke to him on my Ballz radio football show BOLLOCKZ and Siyanda was mystified by the lack of contact.

Xulu is 21, he moved from Mamelodi Sundowns to FC Rostov last year. At the end of last season he was voted man of the match twice as his unfashionable riverside outfit survived relegation in the high-powered Russian League.

This season, Rostov are sharing second place and a month ago Xulu marked the world’s best-paid player Samuel Eto’o out of the game in a 1-0 win over Anzhi Makhachkala, the oil-rich giants from Dagestan.

Xulu told me how “Sam looked a bit frustrated about not getting a goal” and was roundly praised for his performance in a match which ultimately led to the dismantling of Anzhi’s multi-billion structure and the departure – on a free transfer – of Eto’o to Chelsea last month.

So when Xulu arrived in Durban to find he was consigned to the bench (along with Kamohelo Mokotjo, 22, from Dutch Eredivisie leaders PEC Zwolle) I was fairly surprised. Hence the "mediocre" tweet.

Curiously, Makaab’s ProSport International clients featured. Nthethe - whose Celtic have conceded 10 goals in four games this season - and goal-scorer Bernard Parker both took their places in the side with Parker captaining a VERY mediocre Bafana against Zimbabwe four days later.

Makaab, still in public on my timeline, then pointed out that Andile Jali, another of his clients, was also omitted from the starting line-up. But of course, the Orlando Pirates midfielder came on as a substitute, neatly fulfilling the needs of any player hoping for a move to the UK, where work permits are only handed to those who have played 80 percent of their nation’s competitive fixtures.

And I remember my surprise when Gordon Igesund, another of Makaab’s clients, picked Thamsanqa Gabuza from Golden Arrows for his first squad to play Brazil last year. And there was another of his men, Thanduyise Khuboni from the same club, who appeared a permanent fixture for Bafana during Pitso Mosimane’s turbulent reign.

Unfazed by this apparent good fortune, Makaab - who I respected as a player, coach and agent until this point - then asked me: “Are you suggesting something about selection of the team? You say you're not afraid to speak, so say it - I have nothing to hide.”

 So there it is. Makaab himself has asked the question: does South Africa’s biggest agent play a part in the selection of the Bafana Bafana team? I made no such suggestion. I would never dream of doing so having supporting Gordon Igesund throughout his topsy-turvy, mandate-mangling reign in charge of our beloved Bafana.

Igesund has enough problems on his hands without his agent getting involved in “putting journalists right” for passing mild opinions.

My question (and one you should feel free to answer on www.twitter.com/nealcol or by commenting below) is this: Does the future of Bafana revolve around the 28-year-old Nthethe from Bloemfontein Celtic or the 21-year-old Xulu in Russia?

I think I know the answer to that one.

I have asked Mike if he will appear on BOLLOCKZ! my show on www.ballz.co.za this week, it airs every Thursday from 10am-noon. He has my number. 

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

 

BOLLOCKZ! is backed by www.topodds.com - have a look at their site for my latest sports betting advice!

Thulani Serero: the other side of Bafanagate: "I would never turn my back on my country"

Thulani Serero, right, with his agent Mike Ntombela,
the former Mamelodi Sundowns star

HERE IS THE FULL TEXT OF THULANI SERERO’S RESPONSE TO BEING SENT HOME BY SOUTH AFRICA BEFORE BAFANA’S WORLD CUP QUALIFIER AGAINST BOTSWANA ON SATURDAY:

"I will never turn my back on my country. I’m what I am today because of the continued support I get from various people in South Africa.

"I would not have travelled to Durban from Holland if I did not want to play. The truth of the matter is that I started feeling an excruciating pain after Wednesday’s training.

“Later in the evening, I went to coach Gordon to explain to him that I suspected my niggling groin problem was coming back. It was the same pain I felt when I was out of action for several months last year.

"I love South Africa and will always be available to play for Bafana Bafana. I also do not choose games.

"I will never do such a thing. I have played for Bafana in the past ahead of Champions League games. The other thing is: I’m not the coach, so there is no guarantee I will play."

Via Mike Ntombela, http://ntombelasportmanagement.wordpress.com

The question neither Ntombela nor Serero address in this prepared statement is: Will Thulani return home to tell Ajax he felt "excruciating pain" while training in Durban, thus risking his place against Barcelona on September 18? 

I have asked former Mamelodi Sundowns star Mike Ntombela if he or Thulani Serero will appear on BOLLOCKZ! my show on www.ballz.co.za this week, it airs every Thursday from 10am-noon. 

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

BOLLOCKZ! is backed by www.topodds.com - have a look at their site for my latest sports betting advice!

Thulani Serero: putting Barcelona ahead of Botswana... and upsetting a lot of people

Going Dutch: Serero and Ajax Amsterdam boss Frank De Boer

Next Wednesday night Thulani Serero, a 23-year-old Sowetan with useful feet, is due to play at the Nou Camp for Ajax Amsterdam in their opening Champions League showdown against mighty Barcelona in front of a capacity crowd of 99,786 people.

Last Saturday, the man from Mapetla was due to play for South Africa against Botswana at the Moses Mabhida stadium in a 4-1 win (rendered meaningless when Ethiopia beat the Central African Republic 2-1 to finish top of CAF World Cup qualifying Group A).

Bafana Bafana head coach Gordon Igesund didn’t see it as a choice. Like any international manager he assumed Serero would be ready and able to play for both country and club after a R60,000 business class flight to King Shaka airport.

It is now common knowledge that Serero claimed he had “tight muscles” and could not play for his country 48 hours before kick-off. After establishing the 2011 PSL Player of the Year was fully fit, Igesund had him removed from the team hotel and a SAFA disciplinary hearing is likely to follow his report on the incident.

But that is only the tip of the Thulani iceberg. In a series of phone calls with various members of the squad, I can reveal:

1 Serero was reluctant to play for Bafana during AFCON in January, when he also claimed to be unfit despite a clean bill of health.

2 The youngster upset senior Bafana players by telling them on the team bus: “When South Africa needs to win, they call me”.

3 Serero refused to “warm down” in the swimming pool with the rest of the squad, telling the squad’s fitness coach: “I don’t do water”.

4 He told the Bafana medical team he was not fit to play but didn’t want to be publicly declared injured as it would have ruined his chances of playing at the Nou Camp.

5 Serero told journalists he was not in the starting line-up and was “tired of travelling for meaningless games in Africa”.

Igesund vehemently denied the last point, insisting: “I swear on my son’s life, Serero was IN my starting line-up. I told him that last Thursday. The rest of my team hadn’t even been picked by then.

“And even if he was on the bench, how do you think that sounds to people like Kagiso Dikgachoi, who is playing for Crystal Palace in the English Premier League, and Dean Furman who was struggled to get back in the Doncaster team since he came to play for us against Nigeria?

“Nobody is bigger than his country. I am the Bafana head coach Neal, I have to do what’s best for the nation. Serero’s behaviour was completely unacceptable. I was livid, I tell you.”

Though Serero has returned to the Netherlands without comment, the story rumbles on – with Igesund running the risk of huge criticism if the ousted South African plays a starring role for Ajax in the Champions League.

Igesund refuses to back down. His full explanation of events goes like this: “On Thursday I had already informed Thulani that he had been excellent at training, he’s performing well and I need him to take it to the next step. I know the kind of guy he is, and I wanted him to be ready to produce his best for South Africa for the first time.

“I said to him everyone in this country knows he plays in Holland and I asked him to show the people in this country what kind of a player he is. I told him, and this is the truth, that I was going to start him on Saturday and that I wanted him to start expressing himself.

“He trained on Thursday and he then went to my team doctor to tell him he’s got a tight muscle in his thigh/groin area. The doctor checked him out and said he is okay, no groin injury.

“The doctor had six or seven players in the team with tight muscles. He still trained and again he was the outstanding player, there was no problem with his movement.

“On Friday, our assistant coach Serame Letsoake came to me and he said Thulani had approached him to tell him he doesn’t want to play. I was quite shocked so I called Thulani, my doctor and Serame to a meeting in my room. I asked Thulani, ‘Are you injured’? He said, ‘I have a tight muscle and I’m scared I might injure myself’. So I said, ‘Thulani, you got to work with me here son. You know I want you in the team and now you say you don’t want to play’.

“The doctor was there and I asked him, ‘I want to know has Thulani got a slight injury?’ The doctor said he doesn’t have an injury and he’s got a tight muscle. When the doctor tells you that, he isn’t making it up. He’s a doctor for God’s sake.

“It turns out Thulani told the doctor that he doesn’t want to play because he’s got a big game in Holland next week. Of course I was annoyed - why did he even fly to Durban?

“Serero seems to have developed a big head, like he’s better than all the other players here. I had called the Ajax coach Frank de Boer and he said Serero needed game time.

 “I don’t know what went wrong. He flew business class that cost R60 000 to fly over here with the intention of not playing. The truth of the matter is that Thulani Serero turned his back on us because he wants to play in the Champions League. That is insulting in my opinion.

“I was very surprised.  There was no patriotism, I couldn’t take that, especially when I have a bunch of players who really want to pull on that Bafana jersey.”

Igesund had the player removed from the team hotel though he pointed out: “Serero was given the privilege of staying at the hotel next door and was offered meals and a lift to the airport.”

The story doesn’t end there. Igesund says: “I don’t like to make hasty decisions but Serero will have to face a disciplinary hearing after a write my report for SAFA. Do you really think I would have done all this without a good reason?

“I honestly believe I’ve done my job. I made the decision. I stand by it. I’ve done what’s right for the team and for the country. Some might say it harsh, but you’ve got to face up to your responsibility."

Like just about every other football journalist in South Africa, attempts to talk to Serero and the man who took him to Holland, Mike Ntombela, are proving fruitless.

My fear is this: If Thulani Serero produces a magical performance against Barcelona on the 18^th, or if he stars throughout the tournament in a group which also includes AC Milan and Celtic, then what?

It’s one thing to overlook foreign-based South Africans who don’t appear on our televisions very often. It’s another to have burned your bridges with a man who could become South Africa’s premier footballer over the next couple of months.

And we all know what happened with Everton’s Stevie Pienaar when he felt he wasn’t sufficiently valued by Bafana Bafana. Can we really afford to push a second world class footballer in to the international wilderness?

Igesund’s closing statement is telling: “In life, there are decisions to be made. Serero is 23 and playing for a very big club in Holland, and if he is talking about retirement then he has to make his choices in life. You live and die by the choices you make. If he wants to put his club first, like Stevie did, I will never victimise him in any way.”

I will make every effort to get Thulani Serero on BOLLOCKZ! my show on www.ballz.co.za this week, it airs every Thursday from 10am-noon. 

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

BOLLOCKZ! is backed by www.topodds.com - have a look at their site for my latest sports betting advice!

Time up for Gordon's South Africa: after Nigeria embarrassment, is it time for Baby Bafana?

False dawn? Bafana celebrate against CAR

THERE are no words to adequately describe Bafana Bafana’s disappointing 2-0 defeat against Nigeria at the Moses Mabhida on Wednesday night.

So often, under the management of no-nonsense Gordon "Four PSL Titles" Igesund, we have been tempted to scent a new dawn for South African football. There was the AFCON win against Angola, the World Cup triumph over the Central African Republic in Cameroon, even the two hard-fought 1-0 defeats in Brazil and Poland.

But nothing can quite prepare a nation for a thumping at the hands of an old footballing foe, many of whom live gleefully in our midst.

With John Obi Mikel out with a pre-season “tummy bug” and his Chelsea team-mate Victor Moses left languishing on the bench despite his enthusiasm for the Madiba challenge, South Africans were hoping for a rousing triumph – or even a drab draw – against a side with five wins and just one defeat against Bafana.

Instead we were treated to a performance which left many mourning the bad old days of Pitso Mosimane and the bungling Brazilians who preceded him.

Up front, Malmo’s former Pirate Tokelo Rantie, allegedly the subject of a R18m bid from lowly Bournemouth earlier in the day, barely had a touch. Next to him Benard Parker looked more likely to score at the other end, as he did with such stunning accuracy in the numbing World Cup qualifying defeat in Ethiopia.

At the back, the old Bloemfontein Celtic centre-back duo of Tower Mathoho and Thabo Nthethe showed alarming inexperience and a worrying ability to freeze as Uche Nworfor, on as a second half substitute, helped himself to a brace.

The first was a deft back heel, a moment of quick-thinking with his first touch after coming on for Shola Ameobi. The second was a mere tap in, with the glamour sub Moses involved in an intricate build-up which left Mathoho and Nthethe all at sea next to the Indian Ocean.

In the middle of the park, Dean Furman was exposed for the journeyman he really is at Doncaster Rovers with Reneilwe Letsholonyane just as hard-working but equally incapable of finding the killer ball world-class midfielders MUST be able to deliver.

As irate South Africans desperately searched for answers, there was In-Gord-We-Trust insisting: “We did well in the first half. But Nigeria were the better side, they had more purpose in the second half. We made poor decisions around the box, too rushed.

“We have to calm down, keep the ball. I threw in a couple of youngsters. I’m not too disappointed, there are things we can work on.”

But we have heard all that before. It feels like Bafana are no nearer a real solution than we were post-Pitso after that dream-crushing opening draw against Ethiopia.

Former Bafana and Pirates hero Mark Fish said: “It looked like we were afraid to tackle Victor Moses. Nigeria were a far better side going forward.”

There is no easy solution. Development in this country is barely touched on while SAFA and the PSL seek to bolster their coffers with short term solutions and gimmicks. The Bafana junior set-up remains an embarrassment, as do many of the so-called academies at our major clubs.

When Bafana return to the Moses Mabhida, a super-stadium which deserves better, on September 7 to play Botswana, Igesund will be relying on the Central African Republic to take at least two points off Ethiopia to stand any chance of qualifying for the World Cup in Brazil next year.

And do we really stand any chance in the play-offs against sides like these African champions Nigeria? Of course not, given what we’ve seen.

The answer lies in youth. The only answer. Igesund must have the guts to tell the big boys at SAFA he has seen enough of Rantie, Parker, YeYe and Shabba, who shoot like rusty blunderbusses and sell their image rights with lethal intent.

He must ignore calls for a return to the days of Teko Modise, Andile Jali and Killer Mphela. That’s as wise as calling up Benni bloody McCarthy and patching up Siya Sangweni or recalling Stevie Pienaar.

Gordon must go for 2018 now. Unearth the youngsters who are steadfastly ignored as the agents and chairmen insist on the selection of their falling stars in an attempt to keep their value high. We have now reached the stage where these “legends” are named in the Bafana squad for PR purposes even when SAFA knows they won’t play as we saw before the COSAFA Cup and the current double-whammy.

Siyanda Xulu is a case in point. At 21, he kept the mighty Samuel Eto’o quiet for Rostov against Anzhi in the Russian league a fortnight ago, a shackling of the best-paid player in the world - a feat which may ultimately lead to the breakdown of Makhachkala’s billionaire policy.

Yet Xulu and the equally promising Buhle Mkhwanazi at AmaTuks played no part against Nigeria’s Super Eagles and did anyone else get that sinking feeling when Lerato Chabangu emerged as a sub? I did.

Victory over Burkina Faso on Nelson Mandela Sports day on Saturday may gloss over this woeful night for South African football. But thank God it’s the Springboks who are taking on Argentina at Soccer City on the same bill.

WARNING: This was written in the throes of post-match depression!

BOLLOCKZ! my show on www.ballz.co.za, airs every Thursday from 10am-noon. You can also follow me on www.twitter.com/nealcol for all the latest sports news… and read my “Neal & Pray” column every Tuesday inwww.thenewage.co.za. A shorter version of THIS story will be published in The New Age on Tuesday.

BOLLOCKZ! is backed by www.topodds.com - have a look at their site for my latest sports betting advice!

  

FOR THE SAKE OF THE NATION: Roger and Gordon get their heads together to solve club v country row

No walking the plank: Gordon Igesund and Roger de Sa

DESASTER! CLUBBED v COUNTRY! BAFANA WALK PIRATES PLANK! Well, BOLLOCKZ! to all the lurid headlines. Gordon Igesund and Roger de Sa did the right thing today, getting their heads together to sort out the thorny club v country row which threatened to overshadow Madiba's footballing birthday celebrations.

The first hint of peace came early this morning when Orlando Pirates coach De Sa told me: "Gordon is one of the good guys. He is a reasonable person - we talked nicely. My players won't be playing for South Africa in the friendly against Nigeria. Hats off to Gordon for agreeing on that.

“We are doing this for the sake of the nation"

Then the call from Igesund: "Roger and I talked sensibly. I felt I couldn't pick a squad without any Pirates after their historic 3-0 win over Al Ahly. I knew this situation could arise, but once we'd talked about what South Africa needs, we agreed to go without the Buccaneers.

 “We have a friendly against Nigeria. For Pirates, the home game against Zamalek is the game of their lives. But Roger didn’t demand their release, he requested it. I thank him for that.

“There are times when you have to put the best interests of the nation first."

And there it was. Sorted. For the good of the game. And all on my radio show BOLLOCKZ an hour before the official announcement. Pirates, fresh from that historic 3-0 win over the African champions in Egypt, will save their players on the 14th for their clash with Zamalek on the 17th at the Orlando Stadium.

A second successive win over the Pharoahs will all but secure their place in the top half of Group A. Senzo Meyiwa, Thabo Matlaba, Andile Jali, Oupa Manyisa, Thandani Ntshumayelo and Daine Klate will NOT run the risk of injury which could derail the quest for a second star to follow the now-legendary 1995 success.

Igesund, meanwhile, will have to put Jali's international comeback on hold for Nigeria at the Moses Mabhida in Durban on the 14th. He already knew Mandela Day - which sees the rugby Springboks play Argentina too - would be staged against Burkina Faso on the 17th at Soccer City without Roger’s Sea Robbers.

Having already picked a squad of 28 – Gordon knew he would also have to do without his overseas contingent for the second game – Igesund has called up SuperSport United’s pair of former Swallows Bennett Chenene and David Mathebula as reinforcements following the Pirates announcement.

What’s refreshing about this situation is that there was no war of words as their might have been when club and country fall out in Europe. No Sir Alex Ferguson declaring Manchester United players with mysterious injuries, no aggrieved England coach crying foul.

That two men under such huge pressure can come to an amicable agreement is a real boost for South African football – especially when you consider Igesund MUST win his final World Cup qualifier against Botswana in Durban on September 7 to stand any chance of qualifying for Brazil 2014.

Igesund, who is relying on Ethiopia to drop points against the Central African Republic in Bangui, said: “Look Neal, I had to pick the best squad I could. That’s my job. I always knew I would lose nine players after the Nigeria game. Now I’m only losing three – with Chenene and Mathebula coming in.

“I did call  (goalkeeper) Darren Keet’s agent in Belgium and asked if he’d be available for the Mandela Sports day game on  the 17^th but it’s not a FIFA date and his club (KV Kortrijk) are in action that weekend. But to be honest, I was going to start with Itumeleng Khune for both games anyway.”

Speaking on my www.ballz.co.zashow BOLLOCKZ! (see video below), Roger said: “Gordon understood where I was coming from. We have a good working relationship. Common sense prevailed.”

BOLLOCKZ! my show on www.ballz.co.za, airs every Thursday from 10am-noon. You can also follow me on www.twitter.com/nealcol for all the latest sports news… and read my “Neal & Pray” column every Tuesday in www.thenewage.co.za. A shorter version of THIS story will be published in The New Age on Tuesday.

BOLLOCKZ! is backed by www.topodds.com - have a look at their site for my latest sports betting advice!