Old-fashioned Zeca Marques uses "the power of the mind" to get Moroka Swallows flying among the big boys

Gloves are off, the jacket is on: Zeca Marques

ZECA MARQUES has used “the power of the mind” to take his unfashionable Moroka Swallows to the top of the PSL table five games in to the new season.

The Porto-born 52-year-old took over at Dobsonville when Gordon Igesund went off to coach South Africa and after a tough first season, the jacket-thrower’s methods are beginning to pay dividends as they jockey for leadership among FIVE clubs currently locked on 11 points.

Talking on my football show BOLLOCKZ! on Ballz radio (see video below), Marques and I discussed our formative years of playing at left back before he explained: “Being top is a great feeling, testament to what we’ve done for the last four games. Our performances have been solid.

“I was disappointed we didn’t win against Kaizer Chiefs and AmaZulu, somehow that one slipped away from us - but I’m happy with the win over PSL leaders SuperSport United on Wednesday night.”

With another point picked up in a 1-1 draw against Maritzburg United on Saturday, Zeca insists: “One guarantee I can give you is this: we’re going to go out there and upset the apple cart. There’s no doubt about that. We’ve got the ambition. My players have got the vision, there’s a new sense of belief in the squad. More self-assurance.

“I think the guys are starting to realise: You know what, maybe we’ve got an outside chance here.”

Marques, a very different character to his predecessor Igesund, insists: “Gone are the days when Swallows are going to step back for any team. I keep telling our guys, the players are the most important resource, not the finances or the attendances.

“I focus on tactical stuff and the mind. If we start believing in our team, work together as a unit – like rebels – we can surprise anyone.

“We stand back for nobody. I’m happy with that. On the psychological side we’re coming through.”

Amid twitter gossip about “the three mlungus at the back”, Marques laughed: “I’ve gone back to the old school of thought. Bring in two white kids at the back. Take no prisoners, aggressive. And it’s working for us!

“Levi (Mokgothu) is an exciting you left back, Roger (de Costa) and Lenny (Cohen) as the two centre-backs, Papi at right back. Giorgi Nergadze just in front of them. You and I have spoken about this many times: no more nonsense. We see it as a challenge.

“I’m a great believer that we are capable of doing something special. I’ve made that statement to our team. Don’t quote me! But I’ve said our team will be a study case at the end of the season. We’re going to prove people wrong this year.

“You can only do that with the right mentality. Take no shit. Don’t be intimidated by big names of whatever. WE COMPETE. That’s the approach Neal. I’ve been around. Too many times we get complacent, try to patronise people, put too much respect on Sundowns, Chiefs and Pirates.

“Who the hell are they? Half the players at Pirates and Chiefs wouldn’t make my side at the moment.

“The human being is our greatest resource. The mind is our biggest asset. That’s what we use.”

But amid the strong words, Marques has a word for his old Troyeville goalkeeper Roger De Sa, the Orlando Pirates coach, who faces Al Ahly in a win-or-bust African Champions League clash in Soweto on Sunday.

Marques said: “Support football, number one. Champions League games are special to the Soweto people. Our support will encourage them, bring the best out of them.

“May the best team win. Obviously, with Roger being my friend, I want Pirates to win!

“You know what, at the end of the day, Pirates are representing our country. Go and support, for the pride of our country,  as a nation. Go and support Pirates on Sunday.”

BOLLOCKZ! my show on www.ballz.co.za, airs every Thursday from 10am-noon. See the Ballz channel on Youtube for our growing collection of interviews like the one above.

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!

KIRSTEN BOSH: Gordon Igesund to stay in charge of Bafana Bafana until 2018

Good Gord: Igesund and I before AFCON

GORDON IGESUND will sign a FIVE-YEAR contract with Bafana Bafana which will see the Silver Fox guide South Africa BEYOND the World Cup in Brazil next year to 2018.

Igesund will enter negotiations over a new contract on Monday, saying: “I want to see the job through. I’ve always said that.”

Though both big-spending Bidvest Wits and former club Moroka Swallows were lurking in the shadows hoping Igesund would leave the national job after AFCON, Igesund now seems sure to stay in place until the World Cup in Russia in five years’ time.

Despite failing to achieve his mandate of reaching the last four of the African Cup of Nations on home soil, the South African Football Association have come out in support of the man appointed in June last year.

Bafana went out to Mali, Africa’s third-best side, on penalties in the quarter-finals of AFCON 2013 on Saturday, having out-played their highly-ranked opponents for 120 minutes in a hard-fought 1-1 draw.

Last night on SportsTalk, the show I produce for Udo Carelse on Talk Radio 702, SAFA president Kirsten Nematandani said: “We would have loved to get to the final, but considering the fact we started with a relatively very, very young team and a coach who came in five months ago, we have been somewhere.

“Look, I think every federation would aspire to have a coach that goes along the cycle of the World Cup. That is that aim of every footballing nation, that ultimately you qualify for the World Cup. 

Gordon came in just five months back, surely to me it would make a lot of logical sense to have a long-term place for a coach.

“To me, at this point in time, Gordon is a man who has done us very proud as we talk. We set a target but when you don’t reach it, it’s not the end of the world. You still have to review the issues that come up.

“The time factor comes in… and putting together a team in such a short space of time. The next target is the World Cup. We shouldn’t be rushing to begin to feel all is gone.

“We have committees to deal with the issue of Gordon’s future. Now, during March, we will be preparing the team for the World Cup qualifiers. We need a long term plan that will sustain this organisation.

"You have to aim high. If this level of performance is maintained  there is no reason why Gordon should not be our coach until 2018.”

Igesund, gradually coming back down to earth after guiding his team through a run of four games against higher-ranked side without defeat, said: “What we have done is bring back Bafana playing with pride.

“You can’t walk in to the side anymore just because your name is Joe Soap. These players have shown their pride and passion.  The players who weren’t here will have to fight their way in to this team.

“We have come a long way in a short time, but there is a long way to go.”

In Gord we trust: Igesund, one of our finest players, approaches the toughest test of his coaching career

In Gordon we trust: Igesund enjoying  another cup of coffee

IT is a little-known fact that Gordon Igesund, currently sitting in the hottest seat in football, was one of the best players of his generation in South Africa.

Walter Rautmann, the Austrian who coached AmaZulu with some success twenty years ago, recalls: “Gordon and I worked together as coaches at several clubs, I love the guy. Great coach. But as a player? He was the best I ever had.”

It was Walter who helped move Igesund, then 25, from African Wanderers to his native Austria in 1981. After banging them in for Durban City, Durban United, Highlands Park, Umlazi Bush Bucks, AmaZulu and Wanderers, Gordon moved first to Grazer Athletik-Sport Klub and then to the big time with Vienna’s FC Admira Wacker Mödling.

It was there, playing in the UEFA Cup, that the man with the Norwegian ancestors scored 25 goals in 76 games. Not bad for an unknown South African during the Apartheid years.

Rautmann remembers it well. His call was not solicited, nobody asked him to provide backing for the under-pressure South African coach on the eve of what promises to be a torrid African Cup on Nations.

But Walter, known variously as “King of the Zulus” and “Mr Fitness” in a long coaching career in this country, wanted to reassure us all: “Gordon knows what he is doing.  I know this man, we have worked together. He can win this thing”

Amid the searing critique of his Bafana side after the 1-0 loss against Norway in Cape Town last week – a defeat which cost this pundit his hair in a televised shearing on eTV Sunrise after a public promise – the reception surrounding the 0-0 draw against Algeria in Orlando on Saturday was equally scathing.

But Gordon remains on track. He knows his stuff. Take away his ability as a player and examine his background as a coach. He won the South African title with a record FOUR different clubs, has won silverware with FIVE.

And of course, just last season, he revived a relegation-bound Moroka Swallows and took them to within a Benni McCarthy goal of denying Orlando Pirates their second successive treble. Without him this season, they are back among the strugglers.

Now is NOT the time to examine Gordon’s credentials. To call for his scalp as we head towards Soccer City and the opening game against Cape Verde Islands on Saturday at 6pm.

I had lunch with Gordon at the team hotel in Monte Casino last week. He liked the shaven head forced on me by his side’s defeat and remains remarkably upbeat despite the huge pressure being heaped on him and his squad for their lack of pre-tournament goals.

His upbeat comments after the Norway and Algeria friendlies have earned ridicule in some quarters, but he dashed out to the car park after lunch and assured me: “Look Neal, I haven’t even let them see my best side yet. That is yet to come.

“We will score goals. I’ve got the four best strikers available in Tokelo Rantie, the PSL top scorers Bernard Parker and Lehlohonolo Majoro and of course, Katlego Mphela. I’ve got Thulani Serero at 85 percent right now, but he will be 100 by Saturday.

“We’re playing well, man. We’re hard to beat. I still believe we can do this.”

Having limited Algeria, Africa’s second-best side, to a single shot on goal, he will hear no critique of his centre-back pairing of Buccaneer Siya Sangweni and the articulate Bongani Khumalo either.

Khumalo is plagued by detractors who suggest his well-modulated English somehow stops him from being a gritty defender. But Gordon knows full well: “So many of the fans out there are ruled by which club they support. But come the kick-off, they’ll all get behind us. I know they will. I know I have done all I can do.”

He has. On Saturday we will find out if "all I can do" is good enough. Will be play two strikers? Preferably Rantie and Majoro with Mphela as an impact sub? Will he play Serero and May Mahlangu in an attempt to provide forward momentum in a midfield hamstrung by ponderous defensive psychology?

We will soon see. But for now, IN GORDON WE TRUST. Until Saturday. And beyond...

TUNE in to www.702.co.za from anywhere in the world to listen to SportsTalk, which I now produce on Talk Radio 702 and 567 Cape Talk with presenter Udo Carelse EVERY NIGHT except Saturday. Monday to Thursday, 8-9pm. Fridays and Sundays, 7-9pm. Call us 011 883 0702 and I'll get you on air!

Gordon’s coaching career

1995                   African Wanderers

1996–2000           Manning Rangers

2000–2001           Orlando Pirates

2001–2002           Santos Cape Town

2002–2006           Ajax Cape Town

2006–2008           Mamelodi Sundowns

2008–2009           Maritzburg United

2009–2010           Free State Stars

2010–2012           Moroka Swallows

2012–                  South Africa

Gordon’s titles 

• 1996/97 PSL champion (Manning Rangers)
• 2000/01 PSL champion (Orlando Pirates)
• 2001/02 PSL champion (Santos)
• 2000 BP Top Eight Cup winner (Orlando Pirates)
• 2006/07 PSL champion (Sundowns)
• 2007 SAA Supa 8 winner (Sundowns)

The rise of Platinum Stars: how they finished TOP of Q2

Stars rising: Dikwena celebrate their 1-0 win over SuperSport on Saturday

SO this is how Platinum Stars, once known as Silver Stars and before that Khakhu Fast XI (established in 1937) got to earn the R1.5m prize for winning the second quarterly PSL prize for topping the Q2 table by a single point from unbeaten champions Orlando Pirates.

I'll be running a full story on the history of Dikwena as my Neal and Pray column in The New Age on Tuesday, but suffice to say they are now just a point behind leaders Kaizer Chiefs in the full PSL table.

With Moroka Swallows losing 2-1 at Bloemfontein Celtic today, the bottom of Q2 belongs to the flightless Dube Birds with Zeca Marques lamenting in Mangaung today: "We shouldn't have lost that one. It's down to individual mistakes... you can't coach that."

Team                       Played   Won      Draw    Lost   GF    GA       GD    Points

Platinum Stars       7             6             0         1       14           7             7         18

Orlando Pirates     7             5             2         0       13           3            10        17

Kaizer Chiefs        7             4             2         1        13           7             6         14

Free State Stars   7             4             2          1          7           4             3        14

MamSundowns     7             3             3          1          8           6             2         12

Maritzburg U        7             3             1          3          7           6             1         10

Bloem Celtic         7             3             1          3          6            6            0         10

SuperSport U         7             1             4         2          9             9           0           7

Chippa United      7             1             4          2          8            9            -1          7

AmaZulu               7             1             4          2          5            6            -1          7

AmaTuks              7             1             4          2          4            5            -1          7

Golden Arrows     7             2             1          4         10          13           -3          7

Ajax Cape Town  7             2             1         4          5            10           -5         7

Black Leopards   7             2             1         4          5            10           -5          7

Bidvest Wits        7             1             3         3          4             7             -3         6
Moroka Swallows 7             0             1         6          6            16           -10        1

The eight-match Q3 battle kicks-off on Tuesday with Kaizer Chiefs playing at Soccer City against resurgent AmaZulu and declining Maritzburg United against AmaTuks at the Harry Gwala before the AFCON break.

More on this and an in-depth look at Platinum Stars in my Neal and Pray column in The New Age on Tuesday.

See www.thenewage.co.za.

Zeca Marques: when one of the nice guys bites the dust

Hero to Zero: Zeca Marques looks on in horror against SSU on Friday

Perhaps the thing you need to understand first about Moroka Swallows boss Zeca Marques is that he is ONE OF THE NICE GUYS.

And having been given two games to save his career with the Dube Birds yesterday, that might have to change.

I first came across Zeca as a youngster playing at right back for a no-nonsense team called Troyeville. Nice lad in a bunch of teak-tough Portuguese footballers. In goal? That would be a far more bellicose keeper by the name of Roger de Sa.

While De Sa has never been one to keep his views – or his temper – to himself, Marques was an unassuming but competent defender, a one-club man. We renewed acquaintance at eTV Sunrise earlier this year when his Swallows side had won the MTN8 trophy with AmaZulu, Mamelodi Sundowns and SuperSport United crushed in quick succession.

Most people expected the departure of Gordon Igesund to lead to a rapid decline at Dobsonville. We expected another tough bloke, Birds’ CEO Leon Prins, to choose a big name replacement like Ruud Krol, instead he opted for the quiet No2, Marques.

With Katlego Mashego, Lerato Chabangu and Bennett Chenene banging in the goals, Ajax Cape Town and champions Orlando Pirates were dispatched in the League as the MTN8 run became a glorious charge.

Sadly, from that cup-lifting start, Swallows have fallen away. Their 3-1 defeat against SuperSport on Friday night was labelled “pathetic” by Prins and a run of eight games without a win has seen the flightless Birds plummet to 12^th in the PSL, just three points above the bottom feeders, Chippa United and AmaZulu.

Marques himself said on Friday night after his side crumbled to the same SuperSport team they conquered 2-1 in the MTN final on September 22: "Even Gavin Hunt was surprised by the way his side won. The way we are conceding goals is unacceptable. You can coach players but there are some other things players need to take responsibility for themselves, like the basics!"

But I remember vividly at eTV all those weeks ago, when he told me: “You can’t treat all players the same, some of them will be late, some don’t like to train. You have to be sensitive to each player’s attitudes, you have to be a team. I want my squad to be happy, what’s the point of playing football if you’re not enjoying it?”

It struck me then that Marques might find that relaxed attitude less successful than Igesund’s style, which saw a relegation-threatened collection of rejects come so close to glory last season.

With rumours of Marques’ demise growing, Prins said today on the club’s website: “We will not be rushed in to a knee-jerk reaction, but I’d be lying if I said we are not alarmed and concerned. After a very successful 24 months for the club the wheels have spectacularly come off over the past two months.

 “After an embarrassing performance, gifting SuperSport, who did not even play well on the night, a victory, the head coach, who is a gentleman and only has the best interests of Moroka Swallows at heart, offered to me to step aside to minimise the risk to the club going forward.

“We as management have not accepted this offer; the reason being that we are all intimately involved with what goes on behind the scenes in terms of preparation, strategic analysis, input and instructions to the players, and so on.

“This very talented and capable bunch of players have, for various reasons, not the least the loss of focus after becoming MTN8 champions, let themselves, their supporters, the club and the coaching staff down. We have all resolved to turn it around together.

 “In addition, there are only two games before the long break for AFCON 2013, and any knee-jerk decision-making in our view would be strategically unsound at this time.”

 “Everyone at Swallows continues with my full support, but are well-aware that we are on high alert and monitoring the situation closely for the next two games.”

Prins apparently spent Monday getting the views of his board, with Ruud Krol and Muhsin Ertugal among the contenders to step in at Dobsonville if Marques fails to turn things around with six points against .

It’s been two months since they last won – against Free State Stars on October 8 – and with the season not even at the halfway point, the fans have made their feelings clear. “Marques must go” was the chant on Friday night. One of the nice guys, it appears, is about to bite the dust.

The picture that shames South Africa: Johan Neeskens attacked but carries on

In fear of his life: Tiyana's picture of Neeskens yesterday

JOHAN NEESKENS is 61. He played in two World Cup finals for Holland four decades ago. He is the one name in South African football guaranteed to garner global attention.

And yesterday, unruly Mamelodi Sundowns fans decided it would be a good idea to attack their Dutch coach when the bumbling Brazilians went down 2-0 to high-flying Moroka Swallows at Dobsonville.

Poor security – and a paucity of policemen – saw Sundowns fans hit Neeskens with vuvuzelas, leaving him cowering in the tunnel. As a passionate supporter of the plastic horn, I was assured by everyone during the World Cup in 2010 that the vuvuzela would NEVER be used as a weapon. How wrong we were.

Tiyani wa ka Mabasa from kickoff.com snapped pictures of the incident before Neeskens was ushered away and locked in the dressing room. He emerged battered but unbowed and said: “I am frustrated and so are the fans, but it’s normal in football. Its for the club, its for the players, its for myself, but I can handle the pressure and we have to keep working hard and we have to come out of this.”

 “I am not a quitter, I want to continue to fight, but I can’t do it alone. We need to work together.”

Where many might have taken a riot squad Nyala direct to Oliver Tambo international airport, Neeskens was philosophical: “It’s okay if another coach is coming, it’s up to the board of Sundowns to decide if I will stay or not. The players also need to start to take responsibility on the field.”

Brave words. Words which reinforce the view that the Dutchman, capped 49 times by the Oranje, is no run-of-the-mill second-class European import. When he guided Holland to the World Cup final in Germany, 1974 and Argentina four years later, he was hailed as one of the greats, second only to the great Cruyff.

He won the European Cup with Ajax in 1971 and moved with “the other Johan” to Barcelona in 1974 where further honours awaited. A goal-scoring midfielder popular with fans wherever he went, Neeskens scored 111 goals in his professional career – 17 of them for Holland.

At the tail-end of his career in 1979, Neeskens moved to New York Cosmos, where he met a certain Jomo Sono. He recalls: “Jomo played a year with me there and I thought he was a very good player. A very attacking, skilful player who took players on, and he was also popular in the USA."

Neeskens was still playing professionally aged 40 in Switzerland with FC Zug in 1991 before he embarked on a career in coaching.

Neeskens has never hit any great heights as a head coach. He has spent most of his post-playing career an assistant - to Guus Hiddink with the Netherlands and Australia and Frank Rijkaard at Barcelona.

His only stint as a No1 before his appointment at Chloorkop was at  NEC Nijmegen in 2003. He led the Ere Divisie club to their first European appearance in twenty years in 2003, but was fired in 2004.

Sundowns was never going to be easy. Neeskens found himself backed by a technical team which included big characters like Trott Moloto and Daniel “Mambush” Mudau. People who felt they knew better than a Dutchman in Africa.

It’s true the Brazilians have had a poor start to the new season. Without a win in seven games after their astonishing season-opening MTN8 4-1 trouncing of Kaizer Chiefs, Neeskens appears unable to halt the slump -  just as he did when Sundowns let slip a seven-point lead at the top of the PSL after the winter break last season.

But that is no reason to break down fences. No cause to chant the name of Pitso Mosimane, who left Bafana Bafana with little to recommend him earlier this year. And it’s definitely not worth battering a much-respected footballing legend with a vuvuzela.

I spoke to Sundowns PRO Kabelo Mosito on eTV’s Sunrise show yesterday morning. He talked about holding a fan meetings to explain such behaviour is unacceptable. I told him I’d like the video tapes sent to the police for examination, that I’d like to see the guilty fans banned for life from watching their beloved Brazilians. That’s how it SHOULD work.

A month ago, after watching fans invade the pitch and tunnel area after Orlando Pirates lost to SuperSport United 3-0 in the MTN8 semi-final, I called for action to be taken.

Irvin Khoza, chairman of the Buccaneers who doubles as PSL boss, chose to charge his own Ghost and the rival Amakhosi for an earlier bout of bottle throwing. But the promised disciplinary action was postponed on the morning of South Africa’s win over Mozambique earlier this month.

Today, acting PSL CEO Cambridge Mokanyane said: "We condemn this kind of behaviour in the strongest possible terms. What we saw at Dobsonville Stadium is completely unacceptable and cannot be tolerated.

"This faction of supporters is letting our football down; their actions are damaging the image of a product which has a reputable name around the world.

"We will not allow this kind of behaviour at our stadiums. The safety and security of both the players and the fans is our priority."

But after four incidents, the escalating violence in South African football WILL now attract international interest. And that can’t be good for anyone as Sundowns prepare to play Platinum Stars at the Lucas "Masterpieces" Moripe Stadium in Atteridgeville on Sunday night. We can only pray Msandawana end their miserable run of form.

You can read earlier version of this story as my Neal and Pray column in The New Age tomorrow. www.thenewage.co.za.

Bird-watching: A morning with Zeca Marques, MTN8 winner and all-round good guy

Trophy hunters: Chase Carneson, Zeca Marques and I at eTV Sunrise on Monday

WHEN Moroka Swallows boss Zeca Marques celebrated the Dube Birds’ flyaway 2-1 success in the MTN8 final on Saturday night, the sharp-eyed may have noticed a smiling Gordon Igesund in the background, gently clapping his hands in appreciation of a job well done.

While the busy little figure of Gavin Hunt was putting on a brave face after seeing his SuperSport United throw away a 1-0 lead, the stage belonged to Marques, who has now - officially - earned the nick-name Majazana for throwing his much-dry-cleaned jacket about in celebration.

I had the privilege of appearing with Marques, 51, on the eTV Sunrise couch yesterday morning; we discovered we’d played against each other in the 1980s, he for Troyeville, me for Berea Park. And we dug deep in to his footballing philosophy in the guest room while we waited to appear with the glittering MTN8 trophy.

Marques, born in Portugal but raised in Johannesburg, is keen on forging links with Porto, his hometown club, and he’s eager to send top young Swallows to Europe, while bringing useful young professionals to Dobsonville from abroad.

He wants to see a return to the days of local clubs drawing local crowds in local leagues. He wants to find centre-backs who know how to clear the ball, not get caught in possession. He is full of fresh ideas and positive energy.

But it’s when he talks about his team, his job, his new life, you start to realise what a special bloke Marques is: “I live by the three Fs,” he explains, “Firm, Fair, Friendly. I want my lads to enjoy training. I want them to see me as a father figure, not just a disciplinarian. The days of treating the players like robots is over.

“I sent them all a text yesterday and you should have seen their replies. What I realised, winning my first trophy after just two months in charge, is that we have a special family in the Bird’s nest. A spirit, a togetherness.” 

But Bafana Bafana boss Igesund, the man who took the Birds from fast-failing fledglings to title-tilting titans in less than a season, deserves a share of Saturday night’s success, the first since Swallows lifted the Nedbank Cup three years ago.

Though he was lured away to coach the national team during the off-season, Igesund can look proudly on a squad which includes so many of the rejects, veterans and cast-offs he forged in to a teak-tough team last season.

Marques, Igesund’s former No 2, said: “Gordon and I are friends. We talk all the time. Even though he is the international manager, we exchange advice both ways. Working under him was a vital step in my career.

“You can't change a winning formula. Youth is great, but you have to have balance. There's a vision with the club, and we know the older players won't last forever, so we're building the youngsters up slowly.”

And of course, Swallows are fashionable again. After years of flapping about in the footballing wilderness, Igesund and Marques have the Birds soaring again. Marques grinned: “People tended to forget about Swallows. “The Birds” has a lot of history but it’s been a while. 

“I think with this MTN8 win, the players can start believing. We can compete with ,  the best teams in the league, and we've got to believe that. 

“I have a technical team and they make my life easy. There's a game-plan for all of us. It's a new lease of life for the Swallows. This is not the last trophy we’ll bring to Dobsonville. It's just the first.”

A shorter version of this story appeared as my Neal and Pray column in The New Age newspaper today. Read The New Age every Tuesday, watch eTV Sunrise and eNCAnews every Monday - and in my new role as a radio producer, tune in to Early Breakfast on 702 and CapeTalk every day.

Gordon Igesund's Bafana: "We won't play Brazil feeling inferior"

Start of a new era: Bafana boss Gordon Igesund

Gordon Igesund has picked his first Bafana Bafana squad - to play Brazil in Sao Paolo on September 7, kick-off 8.45pm on SABC1.

No surprises among the goalkeepers with Moeneeb Josephs back ("I didn't beg him," Igesund said) and Orlando Pirates Siya Sangweni in at the back with Morgan Gould injured ("That was a big blow to us and to Kaizer Chiefs").

In midfield, Igesund had picked Kamohelo Makotjo from Feyenoord ("Playing in a good League in Holland's Ere divisie, deserves a chance") and Kgosi Ntlhe ("Playing for Peterborough in a very touch Championship, I spoke to his boss Darren Ferguson (Son of Sir Alex) and he said Kgosi is just 18 but he'll never let me down").

Up front, Dino Ndlovu is in after early goals for Maccabi Haifa in Israel (Gordon said: "Who's to say he's not our next superstar. He's getting goals, he's sharp.")

Goalkeepers

Wayne Sandilands (Mamelodi Sundowns), Moeneeb Josephs (Orlando Pirates), Itumeleng Khune (Kaizer Chiefs)

Defenders

Siyabonga Sangweni (Orlando Pirates), Bevan Fransman (SuperSport United), Bongani Khumalo (PAOK, Greece), Erick Mathoho (Kaizer Chiefs), Anele Ngcongca (Genk, Belgium), Punch Masenamela (Mamelodi Sundowns), Thabo Matlaba (Orlando Pirates), Kgosi Ntlhe (Peterborough, England)

Midfielders

Kamohelo Makotjo (Feyenoord, Holland), Steven Pienaar (captain)(Everton, England), Reneilwe Letsholonyane, Siphiwe Tshabalala (both Kaizer Chiefs), Thulani Serero (Ajax Amsterdam, Holland), Katlego Mashego (Free State Stars), Dean Furman (Oldham Athletic, England), Kagisho Dikgacoi (Crystal Palace, England)

Strikers

May Mahlangu (Malmo, Sweden), Bernard Parker (Kaizer Chiefs), Lerato Chabangu, Siyabonga Nomvete (both Moroka Swallows), Dino Ndlovu (Maccabi Haifa, Israel), Thamsanqa Gabuza (Golden Arrows)

Gordon added: "Tokelo Rantie is the only player I picked and then left out. I spoke to Malmo, where he's scored four goals already, and they said he's only 60 percent fit. Tokelo told me that when I spoke to him. I appreciate his honesty."

No sign of Benni McCarthy, but Lerato Chagangu and Siyabonga Nomvete, Gordon's former Swallows, both make it. 

Igesund added: "Look, we all know Brazil are five times champions of the world, but that doesn't mean we will go out there feeling inferior. We don't have the best preparation, but we'll turn that in to a positive.

"I don't go out playing not to lose. We will go out there playing wide men, playing to win. It's Brazil's biggest national holiday on the 7th, it won't be a friendly, they've got their best side out. But we have to be positive.

"We have to win AFCON 2013, that's the big picture. I believe this is a good side, well-balanced. It will change before AFCON, no doubt. But this is a well-balanced side. This is the start of a new era for Bafana Bafana." 

From Pienaar's armband to Madigage's hat: Gordon Igesund's masterplan to restore South Africa's pride

He's the boss: Gordon Igesund and I in Sandton this morning

FROM Steven Pienaar’s armband to Thomas Madigage’s hat, Gordon Igesund laid bare his Bafana Bafana master plan yesterday.

And there is every suggestion central defender Morgan Gould, who moved from SuperSport United to Kaizer Chiefs at the end of last season, could Gordon’s guiding light.

In a series of conversations before, during and after The New Age’s Business Briefing at the Sandton Convention Centre, the 58-year-old revealed how he plans to raise South Africa’s national football team from the depths of despair to the heights where they belong.

Igesund, a winner of four PSL titles with a record four different clubs, got the nod as Bafana coach ahead of Steve Komphela less than a fraught fortnight ago.

But the man who should have been appointed national boss ahead of Trott Moloto 10 years ago has his plans in place. Quiet excitement and huge enthusiasm underpin his every sentence.

The central plank in the Igesund philosophy will be communication as the once-prolific striker attempts to make every PSL coach in the country feel like stakeholders in Bafana’s brave new future.

Giving me the steely-eyed stare which scares middle-aged journalists as effectively as it will under-performing footballers, Igesund growls: “In 10 years, I have never been contacted by a Bafana manager. The last one to actually call me and ask about my players was Stuart Baxter, when I was in charge at Ajax in Cape Town.

“As an example, when Pitso Mosimane called up Siyabonga Nomvethe for the Ethiopia game, nobody called me. I could have told them Siya is a quiet, Zulu lad, he does whatever you ask him but he doesn’t like being the centre of attention at Moroka Swallows. I could have told them not to play him on the right up front, he’s a central strike, a goal-sniffer. He was the PSL’s top scorer last season for God’s sake.

“Over the next couple of weeks, I’m going to visit every Premier League club in South Africa. I will discuss their feelings about national call-ups, their views on the players they deal with day-in, day-out.

“In the end, I want them to feel they are part of the Bafana project. They can call me any time, they get to participate in the national team.”

As Igesund was daubed in make-up before his appearance in front of 120 amateur and professional football exports live on SABC2, he showed a surprisingly bashful side, bouncing ideas for his speech off me.

“Neal, do you think they’ll laugh at this? I’ve got Brazil in my first game on September 7. Still… at least it’s not Ethiopia! Or Botswana! Is that too much?

“How do you say Maracana? Let me write that down. What’s the capacity there now? Have they rebuilt the stadium – it’s in Rio de Janeiro isn’t it?

“And I’ll have four days to prepare for my first game. Against Brazil. Sheez. And two of those days will be spent travelling. I guess I’ll have to get around to all the clubs before that to give the players an idea of what I expect from them.

“If everyone gets  behind us, we can to this. We fulfil the two objectives I’ve been set: to reach the semi-finals of AFCON13 here in February – and then to qualify for Brazil 2014. We can top the group, then we have to take our chances in the play-off.

“My job is to help players remember what they are. Footballers. Forget all the other stuff. And I don’t for a moment think Bafana players lack passion. When you pull on that national jersey, how can you not want to do your best?”
While SAFA CEO Robin Petersen outlined a further objective – a rise from 15^th to “consistently top 3” in Africa and a place in the world’s top 20, Igesund shows no fear. He may shy away from the public speaking (“I’d much rather be out on the training pitch”) but he insists: “Look, in 2009 we took that great Spain team with all their stars to 2-2 in the Confederations Cup. We were only beaten in extra-time. Those players haven’t disappeared. They haven’t become bad players overnight.

“I will instill a new confidence in my squad. They’re tired of being told they’re rubbish. They aren’t. We will play attacking football, use wide players… with African flair… and it’s a style we must stick with for 20 years, long after I’m gone.

“South Africa has players who can do more with the ball than so many other countries. We need to build on that. And we will, believe me.”

In the complex area of leadership, changes are also afoot. SuperSport United No2 Thomas Madigage has been wrenched away from Gavin Hunt and Igesund grins: “Gavin’s an old friend. He knew I would come after Thomas. He’s the most successful assistant coach in the country, he’s used to working with winners.

“The day I got the job I told three people I wanted Madigage. And we got him. Nobody knew. They were all talking about my supposed technical team, Fani Madida, Doc Khumalo, but I knew who I wanted.

“And I’ve told Thomas, he has to ditch the hat. I know it’s his lucky hat, but I’ve made it clear, Bafana is inclusive, we represent all religions, not just the ZCC. I love the hat, I love the Zionists… but Thomas and I have agreed: No hat on the bench for international games.

“I’ve also put together a panel of advisors – Clive Barker, Shakes Mashaba and Jomo Sono – great men who I have so much respect for. When difficult decisions need to be taken, I’ll be able to turn to them. And Lucas Radebe? I know he’s interested in getting back into football, he’s spoken to Robin – but we’ll have to see what happens there.

“On the field we have so many leaders in this country. Steve Pienaar was made captain, but I have to sit him down and ask him if he wants the captaincy. Perhaps he’s one of those lads who doesn’t need the captain’s armband to know he’s the best player in the side.

“I’ve got Morgan Gould, who’s just moved to Kaizer Chiefs, and Siya Sangweni at Orlando Pirates. They are leaders too. Morgan is just one of those pillars, it’s natural for people to follow him.

“But nothing is decided on the captaincy yet. I know people will talk. They will say things. There is a long time to go before Brazil in September. I know what I want. I know, with everybody’s backing, we can do this.

“If I thought guiding Bafana to their rightful place in world football was an impossible task, I would never have taken the job.”

Given what happened at Dobsonville last season – Igesund lifted Swallows from relegation fodder to title contenders in barely a year – no mission appears to be impossible. South Africa’s footballing future is in safe hands.

And as he left the building yesterday, a final word: “I know exactly what I’ve taken on here. And I’m ready for it.”

New-look Chiefs in action on July 21: that could mean EIGHT new faces

Threedom: Jessica and the No3 shirt last week

KAIZER CHIEFS will roll out their newly-acquired masterpieces – and their colourful new coach – for the first time in a competitive match at the Lucas Moripe Stadium in Atteridgeville on July 21 - against Moroka Swallows in an experimental one-day, four-team tournament.

The Amakhosi’s vast array of new signings – presumably including the elusive Mulomowandau “Tower” Mathoho – have been drawn to play against Moroka Swallows in the Gauteng Sports Challenge, a multi-sports event set up by the provincial department of Sports, Arts, Culture and Recreation.

Chiefs today announced they are NOT chasing talented midfielder Erwin Isaacs or top scorer Eleazar Rodgers from relegated Santos but they should be able to show off Morgan Gould, Mathoho, Siboniso Gaxa, Kgotso Moleko, Brilliant Khuzwayo, Sakhile Hlongwa, Kingston Nkatha and Siyabonga Nkosi with new boss Stuart Baxter at the helm.

That means they could field as many as EIGHT new signings against Swallows if Nkatha is fit and goalkeeper Khuzwayo gets the No1 jersey ahead of Bafana’s Itumeleng Khune. Their new-look defence, featuring Gould, Mathoho and Belgium-honed Gaxa has to be among the best in the country right now.

It promises to be an eventful day at the stadium named after the legendary Masterpieces Moripe – PSL rivals SuperSport United and Bidvest Wits open proceedings at 10am before Chiefs take on Soweto rivals Swallows – also under new management following Gordon Igesund’s appointment as the new Bafana Bafana coach - at high noon. The two winners will play in the final at 5.15pm. Chiefs will face arch-rivals and champions Orlando Pirates in the Carlin Cup a week later.

Former Bafana boss Baxter, who has much to prove after controversy over his CV since his time in South Africa ten years ago, said: “I don't think there's anyone at Naturena who says we don't want to win.

"And we want very, very badly, very passionately to go on and lift the PSL title. That is something everyone associated with Kaizer Chiefs will tell you with all of their heart. No one can promise we will win the league. What we can promise is that the boys and the technical staff and supporters will give their back teeth to win the league.

"So, we will do everything that we can.  We CAN promise every drop of blood in our body and every drop of sweat we can muster will go towards winning every game.

"And I'm not telling anybody they have to wait. There's no time like the present."

With general manager Bobby Motaung still mourning the loss of brother Thabo – he was buried last Saturday – it was sister Jessica who fronted the latest Chiefs press conference once more, just as she did last week when she famously unveiled six new signings and Tower’s No3 shirt.

Since then, two of the new signings – goalkeeper Khuzwayo and midfielder Nkatha – have turned out competitively for other teams and Tower himself remains unveiled.

Jessica failed to address injury concerns over Nkatha – he went off injured during Black Leopard’s CAF Confederations Cup clash in Sudan last Saturday – and exactly why we haven’t seen Tower in his No3 shirt yet.

But the glamorous Marketing Director, flanked by her new communications manager Vina Maphosa, said: “We are very excited to be participating in the Gauteng Sports Challenge in 2012. We are also happy to be supporting Gauteng. The tournament gives us an opportunity to prepare for the upcoming season.

“We are also happy to be meeting Moroka Swallows, one of the in-form teams last season. Games between the two sides have always been thrilling affairs and this upcoming one is not going to be any different.”

Speaking for the first time since his brother Thabo’s death, Bobby confirmed the Amakhosi will NOT be splashing out on Isaacs or Rodgers saying from Naturena today: "The coach wanted 28 players and he has 28 players. If we buy more players it means we must then move others.”

Treble-winning Pirates are now first in the queue for Rodgers, who scored 15 goals last season for lowly Santos.

New Swallows boss Zeca Marques, who steps up from No2 following Igesund’s call-up to national service, said: “People think a coach can just come in and wave a magic wand and “voila”, things happen. I know that is not the case.         

 “I was schooled in Portugal, so for me it’s all about creativity, flair and playing to win. That is the philosophy I will bring to the job.

“I know there will be great expectations, but the players realise that too and their ambition is the same as mine, to go out there and win trophies.

“Gordon had a very similar outlook last season and we shared ideas about how the team should play, that was brought out in the type of players we signed, guys like David Mathebula and Joseph Makhanya.

“We were always bouncing ideas between us and I had quite a bit of input. We shared the same vision and my vision for the team now has not changed much.”

Tickets for the Gauteng Challenge will go on sale at R50. 00 for adults and R20.00 for children under 12 years, from Monday at Computicket nationwide.