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!

EXCLUSIVE: Siyanda Xulu "disappointed" at being over-looked for Bafana's defeat against Nigeria - in his home town

On top of his game: Siyanda Xulu is on
on top of the world with Rostov in Russia

Gallo Images

SIYANDA XULU has expressed disappointment and frustration after being over-looked for South Africa’s disappointing 2-0 defeat against Nigeria in his hometown on Wednesday.

Just a fortnight ago, former Mamelodi Sundowns defender Xulu marked the world’s best player, Cameroon’s Samuel Eto’o, out of the game when his underdogs Rostov beat billionaire Suleyman Kerimov’s Anzhi  Makhachkala 1-0.

Even that wasn’t enough to earn a call from SAFA but the 21-year-old from KwaMashu insists: “I hope to be back in Gordon Igesund’s thinking for the final World Cup qualifier against Botswana on September 7 at the Moses Mabhida.”

Xulu, speaking on my football show BOLLOCKZ on www.ballz.co.za yesterday morning, told me: “Nobody from Bafana made any contact. I was very disappointed, we were top of the Russian League. I’m doing very well for my club, we are winning, I am playing. Of course I was disappointed.

“I’m a KwaMashu boy, I always miss home, you always do. I wanted to come home and play in this game in Durban.

“I didn’t get to see the Nigeria defeat because they didn’t show it in Russia but I got to hear from my parents and some friends. They told me. Bafana didn’t have much of a good game I hear, especially when we were the ones playing a home, near where I grew up. We always like to beat Nigeria.

“At Rostov were are on the same points as No1, we have played four, won three, drawn one. We have made a good start.

“The best was beating Anzhi Makhachkala, the richest club in Russia – they were the runners-up here in the league last season. We played very well, we didn’t concede a goal, we won 1-0. It was very hard. We managed!

“I marked Samuel Eto’o, the best-paid striker in the world. It was quite difficult! He was kept quiet (laughs), he tried, you could see in his face he was frustrated, he wanted a goal. But I was trying my best to keep him quiet.

“Playing at Rostov has taught me a lot. I have come here to achieve a lot. In South Africa we don’t have the concrete development structures they have in Russia. Obviously you have to work hard, we match them skill-wise but technically it’s much quicker than South African football.

“My team Rostov is doing very well, it means a lot Neal, as a player you always want to do well, financially and on the pitch.

“I think if you have a chance to play in Europe, your South African team should let you go. It’s good for our nation and it’s good for Bafana.

“It was very frustrating when I tried to leave. At first I went to Barcelona, I was going to go but the president left. They were impressed, Atletico Madrid then offered me a contract and Mamelodi Sundowns said it wasn’t good enough.

“When I had the opportunity to go to Russia, they did it again, but I got here in the end. I don't understand why South African clubs make it so difficut.

“I think any young South Africa with a chance to go overseas should take it. It’s hard, you miss home, but it’s worth it. You become a better player.

“I hope I get to prove that against Botswana next month.”

BOLLOCKZ! my show on www.ballz.co.za, airs every Thursday from 10am-noon. See my Siyanda Xulu interview below - and further videos on the Ballz site, where I talk to Shakes Khunwane, THE MOLE and Oluwashina Okeleji of the BBC World Service about Bafana's abject defeat against Nigeria.

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!

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!

  

From Russia with love: All you ever wanted to know about Siyanda Xulu, but were afraid to ask

KwaMashu Kid: Bafana's Siyanda Xulu

Siyanda Xulu came Russian back home to South Africa yesterday, significantly encouraged by the news that BOTH of Bafana Bafana’s incumbent central defenders are now OUT of Saturday’s crucial World Cup qualifier.

Xulu moved to Rostov in Russia during the January transfer window – at R6m his move from Mamelodi Sundowns makes him the most expensive player in Gordon Igesund’s current squad – and was left out of the African Cup of Nations 23 after attending the gathering for the game against Malawi in a pre-AFCON friendly.

But with captain Bongani Khumalo and Orlando Pirates’ goal-scoring rock Siyabonga Sangweni both now out of contention, there is every chance Xulu, still just 21, will start at the Cape Town stadium.

Both Khumalo and Sangweni carry fascinating tales. Khumalo was backed to the hilt by Igesund when he was accused of being too good at English and even better at ball-watching during AFCON. But last Friday Igesund dismissed him thus: “Bongani is not even in the team at PAOK in Greece – and I hear he’s carrying a slight injury. So I didn’t pick him.”

But he DID pick Sangweni, who clearly played in the Soweto derby carrying the knee injury that was supposed to put him out for six weeks. Roger de Sa clearly felt gambling in front of 90,000 was the right thing to do – and his side duly managed to keep a cleansheet in a 0-0 draw with their arch-rivals. Sangweni’s leadership – if not his mobility – clearly made that possible.

Before the squad announcement, we had been told that both Sangweni and his former team-mate Tokelo Rantie, now at Malmo in Sweden, were unavailable. But Gordon picked them both. Was this an effort to keep Buccaneering fans happy? Was he worried that, by naming Tower Mathoho and Morgan Gould in central-defence – it Amakhosi goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune assuming the captain’s armband – we might face a footballing civil war?

None of this politicking bothers Xulu. A calm, older-than-his-years sort of guy, I got hold of Xulu in Rostov last week, a few days after he had been named Man of the Match after a 0-0 draw against Alaniya in front of an audience spanning the length of the world’s largest nation.

Just how excited was he to have found a place back in the squad so soon after his AFCON disappointment? “No look,” he said between the crackles and delays of the international telephone network, “Whenever I get picked, it’s an honour. I have always believed it is important to play for South Africa. I am so proud.”

Of course, those may just be words. But for my money, Xulu appears to put patriotism before cash.

The very mention of the sprawling township of KwaZulu outside Durban brings out a whole new Siyanda: “I grew up in KwaMashu,” he recalls, “It will always be home. I live here in Russia on my own in an apartment.

“At first I missed my family, my friends, all my loved ones soooo much. But now I am starting to get used to living alone. I’m going to fly a friend out after the World Cup game for company.

“And it’s great to be asked to come home for this game. But I have travelled a lot.

“Two years ago I went to Barcelona on trial but just as they said they were going to sign me to their academy, they restructured (Joan Laporta was deposed as club president) and it all fell through.

“I also went to Arsenal and trained with them for two weeks. Arsene Wenger had some very nice things to say but then Atletico Madrid made a bid for me – they heard what happened at Barca – but that fell through too.

“So I came back and played in Mamelodi before Rostov made their bid. It was a long story, the price kept going up, but eventually I made the move."

The busy town of Rostov is no stranger to South African imports. Matthew Booth, Tony Coyle, Rowan Hendricks, Bennett Mnguni and Japhet Zwane all played for the mid-table Russian Premier League outfit, which has undergone a number of name changes since the club's creation in 1930. The town itself is around the size of Durban, a port on the banks of the River Don.

They currently lie 12th in the RPL, way behind leaders CSKA Moscow, big-spending Anzhi and St Petersburg glamour club Zenit. But with a fair wind and a couple more wins, they should survive in the 16-team table with a four-point cushion currently keeping them clear of the relegation zone.

With nine games left this season, Xulu accepts: “It was tough, but now I'm quite happy in Russia. It’s just the weather. And the language. The only things I can say in Russian are “left”, “right” and “hi”. I am learning the language but it’s very difficult – even the letters are different!

“That’s why I am so happy to come home for this game. A chance to see everyone again. If I am picked to start the game, that’s great. I will do what I can. The World Cup in Brazil next year is very important, I would love to be there.

“But whatever happens, playing for South Africa has always been, will always be my No 1 dream.”

THIS article also appears tomorrow as my "Neal and Pray" column in www.thenewage.co.za.

Storm brews as Sundowns turn down R5m Russian bid for Siyanda Xulu

To Russia with love: Sundowns defender Siyanda Xulu

MAMELODI SUNDOWNS have turned down a second offer for defender Siyanda Xulu from Russian club Rostov – their decision to reject a R5m bid for the 20-year-old has left his representative Paul Mitchell from Siyavuma Sports “very disappointed”.

Mitchell, who also oversaw Aaron Mokoena’s move to Wits last month, said: “It’s frustrating that the move for Siyanda has been turned down, we understand at the end of the day he’s a contracted player and Sundowns have every right to decide his value.

“But we feel that the over-inflated South African market is now starting to have an effect on young South African players leaving our shores for better things.

“Siyanda has always had a burning ambition to play overseas and has been promised if a reasonable offer came in, he would be allowed to leave. Unfortunately, the offer put forward has not been deemed reasonable by Sundowns and at the end of the day, he’s a contracted player.”

Mitchell took highly-ranked Xulu, poached from Kaizer Chiefs as a teenager, to Barcelona and Arsenal last season, provoking considerable interest. Mitchell said: “He was ready to go to Barca when they sacked their entire academy staff, then we organised a loan move to Atletico Madrid but Sundowns rejected that, they were worried he might lose confidence if, at the end of the loan, a permanent deal never happened.

“Arsene Wenger had a look at him and he liked what he saw. He said Siyanda was a perfect Premier League full-back, he just needed to get used to the physicality.

“Now we have this offer from Rostov, a major club in a big league. I can’t tell you how frustrating this is for a young player like Siyanda. He deserves his chance to play overseas. But as I will reiterate he’s a Sundowns player.”

Rostov, promoted to the increasingly lucrative Russian Premier League in 2008, finished mid-table last season, with Croatia goalkeeper Stipe Pletikosa and Cameroon defender Benoit Angbwa among their current squad. The club has a unique link with South Africa -  Matthew Booth, Tony Coyle, Rowan Hendricks, Bennett Mnguni and Zaphet Zwane have all played in the popular tourist port.

Sundowns Dutch coach Johan Neeskens said: “If Rostov offer what Sundowns feel is a fair transfer fee then we’ll let him go. He’s a very talented defender and we deserve to get a good price for Siyanda.”

Mitchell added: “Look at the end of the day, we’re in the same position as when the Atletico offer was turned down. Siyanda showed tremendous maturity in brushing himself down and getting on with the job in hand at Sundowns. As we’ve discussed, Siyanda will continue to do his level best for Sundowns and Bafana Bafana.”

While Xulu is in limbo, his club-mate Mushekwi – top scorer in the Nedbank Cup last season -  is also struggling to be released by Sundowns after passing a medical with Bundesliga newcomers Greuthe Furth.

Mushekwi’s agent Ralph Nkomo is hoping the Tshwane Brazilians will accept a R10m bid for the 24-year-old, who has also attracted interest from Belgium’s Standard Liege and English Championship club Sheffield Wednesday after video footage of his six goals in the 24-0 Nedbank Cup victory over shocking Powerlines echoed around the footballing world.

Nkomo said: “We are preparing a proposal which will put Nyasha’s future in his own hands. We are obviously hoping this matter could be resolved.”