Sibongakonke is dynamite in a small package
ON THE BALL: Sibongakonke Mbatha in action against Sudan’s Ramadan Suliman during the U20 Africa Cup of Nations in Zambia this year THE pint-sized Sibongakonke Mbatha responds with kindness to opponents who take one look at his physique and laugh at him thinking they will easily bully him off the field.
There was a stage in the 19-yearold’s career where it was hard to look at him without chuckling as he lined up with his shirt wearing him instead of the other way around. No matter how much he tucked it in, the arm lengths would undo all that work.
“I just smile and tell them that I will get you on the field,” Mbatha said.
“I don’t really care what people think of me when they look at my size. I know that I can still perform better than them despite being small. It’s not all about your size. It’s about how you play, how you adapt to the tactics, but most importantly it’s about the fight in you.”
The lad from Ulundi is the embodiment of how the national under20 team is perceived at the World Cup.
Their opponents view them as small boys they can easily bully. Amajita’s performance in the Under20 Africa Cup of Nations in Zambia backs that statement. They had a porous defence that was exposed in every game they played in, which resulted in the side conceding the most goals in the tournament.
Their strong attack made up for their frailties at the back and took the team to South Korea.
Any lapses in defence in the World Cup will be disastrous, especially since they are in a formidable group. Amajita started their campaign this morning against Asian champions Japan. On Wednesday they take on the second-best under-20 team from Europe, Italy, and then finish with South American champions Uruguay on Saturday.
“This gives us a platform to perform against the best in the world, to ENGLAND picked up their first Fifa U-20 World Cup victory for 20 years in South Korea yesterday, beating Argentina 30, to end a tournament record of 17 games without a win and kick off their 2017 campaign in style.
In other games yesterday, Venezuela made light work of Germany, beating the Europeans 2-0, while Mexico didn’t find it all their own way, seeing off the South Pacific Ocean nation of Vanuatu 3-2.
The host nation also got off to a flying start, beating Guinea 2-0
I don’t really care what people think of me when they look at my size
really know where we stand compared to them,” Mbatha said.
“We are not fazed by what is in front of us. Italy, Japan and Uruguay are big footballing countries. No one outside our country expect much from us. It will be nice to succeed against such opposition.
“If they undermine us, they will relax and that’s when we will strike. By the time they realise what they are up against, it will be too late for them,” he said.
The last South African generation to play in the Under-20 World Cup reached the last 16 in Egypt in 2009, losing to eventual winners Ghana. Mbatha is confident that this generation can reach the quarterfinals, which would be the best performance of a South African team in any World Cup. Amajita have to either finish in the top two of their group to make it to the next round or be one of four best third-placed teams.
This is the second World Cup that Mbatha will be playing in. He was part of the under-17 team that crashed out of the group stage in Chile, gaining valuable experience in the process. There are seven players from that squad in South Korea.
“We struggled in Chile because we were in a shell,” Mbatha said. “Now we are out of that shell and we can do wonders.”