Bafana display best and worst
Just after we had celebrated our best performance since a return to the international fold, Bafana Bafana went on to spoil it with what could be a costly draw this week.
SA’s 0-0 draw with the Seychelles, which came three days after they had beaten them 6-0 at FNB Stadium last Saturday, is a calamitous result that could see our nation failing to qualify for next year’s Africa Cup of Nations finals in Cameroon.
Bafana had been in control of their destiny, joining Libya atop Group E after a victory and a draw in their opening two games. Now one slip-up has relegated them to second place behind Nigeria, whom we face next month.
Should Bafana beat the Super Eagles – like they did in Uyo last year – they will qualify for Cameroon. So it’s not all doom and gloom. But this is a Bafana team we have come to distrust in recent years. They are capable of pulling off a major result, but can disappoint. Take the events of the past week, for instance.
Bafana performed well against the Seychelles, annihilating the semi-professionals 6-0 at FNB Stadium. They then took a flight to the island to face the same team, and we anticipated another big win. Coach Stuart Baxter made just one change to the team but the performance was so disappointing, it was like a completely new team had taken the field.
Suddenly, our boys could not do the basics right, and Baxter has blamed the artificial surface at Stade Linite. We don’t agree with this. We feel our boys are simply not equipped for the demands of international football. They raise their performance for certain matches, and then drop guard for others. This inconsistency is the reason we are failing to regain respect internationally.
The same Nigeria we beat in Uyo can come here and outlast us. The same Libya we drew with in Durban last month can deliver a knockout blow to our Afcon qualification chances when we meet them next year. It’s for that reason that South Africans – so confident after the first match against the Seychelles – are now apprehensive. Qualification is not guaranteed, and it seems improbable. But we still call on South Africans to be positive. Let’s fill up FNB next month and push our team to a victory we desperately need against the Super Eagles.