Khune’s absence would hurt, but don’t exaggerate it
South African football fans and their appetite for innuendo, hyperbole and unnecessary panic are what Bafana Bafana can do without this week.
As they face Senegal in back-toback World Cup qualifiers that will determine if we go Russia next year, Bafana have been besieged by all manner of negativity since Itumeleng Khune collided with Kurt Lentjies in Sunday’s Telkom Knockout tie between Chippa United and Kaizer Chiefs.
Comments ranged from the absurd to the ridiculous, such as one which suggested Lentjies would be to blame should SA fail to beat Senegal twice – as required – and not qualify for Russia 2018.
What is even more disappointing is the perpetuation by some in the media of the stereotype that Bafana are a one-man team that would go into Friday’s fixture in Polokwane as lambs to the slaughter, if Khune were to be ruled out.
This is an insult to other players who, in many instances, have played their hearts out representing a country that overrates its football capabilities, in spite of its known limitations. It’s true that had Khune been available for the defeats to Cape Verde, Bafana may have stood a chance. But it would also be simplistic to ignore the fact that we have not qualified for a World Cup since 2002.
To refresh the memory of those finding themselves using the flawed analogy of telling our players “they might as well forget” about a positive result if Khune fails a fitness test, you just have to look back at the doomed 2014 World Cup qualifiers.
Bafana lost only one match in that campaign – against Ethiopia in Addis Ababa – and guess who was in goal? Yes, Khune!
Bafana didn’t lose because they conceded, it was mainly because of squandered chances (Reneilwe Letsholonyane missed one from about two metres) and an own goal from Bernard Parker.
Khune was also around when we failed to qualify for this year’s Africa Cup of Nations in Gabon. So it is disingenuous to now suggest his absence would be the sole reason why Senegal cannot be beaten.
In any case, it’s not like Bafana need a clean sheet against Senegal. They need two outright wins. We should be talking about how we are going to get goals at the other end.
As they showed in their 3-1 destruction of Burkina Faso last month, Bafana have talent and can deliver when least expected. They have given themselves a last shot.
The last thing they need are words of discouragement, of being told they can’t do it because so and so is missing. Beating a Senegal side boosted by the return of Sadio Mane home and away is an arduous task – with or without Khune – but it’s definitely not impossible. With our support, it can be even be more plausible for Bafana to pull off a miracle.