Ntseki has a chance to bring back the fans

Bafana Bafana coach Molefi Ntseki spoke about how wonderful it is that he is beginning his tenure with a Nelson Mandela match where they meet Mali at Port Elizabeth’s Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium tomorrow.

The match carries some weight because it is being played in honour of a man who sacrificed a lot to ensure we enjoy the same privileges and equality as residents of this country. It is however a little numbing that the match doesn’t carry the same hype it used to.

In fact, it is not just this match but Bafana who have lost some street cred.

They no longer make you want to make sure you don’t miss the match.

It is worrying when you speak to friends and all they ask about is when the Telkom Knockout is being played and when you force the Bafana topic it is brushed aside.

But maybe this is good. It gives Ntseki a chance to rekindle Bafana’s support. It is good that he is a neutral in that he has not coached at any club before. I know that sounds weird but we all know how ridiculous local supporters can be.

They will scrutinise everything just so they can justify their dislike of someone. With the previous incumbent Stuart Baxter, it was a case of him having previously coached Kaizer Chiefs that made him unlikeable to some.

The fact that he didn’t use the likes of Innocent Maela and

Sibongiseni Gumbi

Thembinkosi Lorch in his team even though they were arguably the most on form at the time, gave those who felt he was biased towards SuperSport United and Kaizer Chiefs players more ammunition to use against him.

Now Ntseki fortunately doesn’t have that stigma. He gets to start on a clean slate. How he is perceived will totally be determined by the results he gets. His first squad selection has been well received as he seems to be a man who watches all the players and not just the famous names.

He speaks a good game and appears to have a clear plan for the team.

When he speaks about how he will monitor players, he is so eloquent you can actually see it in your mind. But as they say, talk is cheap. It is the action that will count.

We need – in fact we deserve – a Bafana team who are buzzing and inspire confidence. A team who even when they lose you are still left with some fond memories because of the way they played. Ntseki has however been grilled on his technical team selection as he has brought back Trott Moloto who last coached actively so many years ago and took Arthur Zwane, who has only coached at Chiefs, juniors as his twin pillars.

But I think I understand why he is doing that. I believe he knows what has been lacking in the Bafana team all these years. Our players are naturally talented and need just a little push in the right direction for them to excel. He doesn’t want to overcoach them. They get that at their clubs on a daily basis anyway.

It is just unfortunate that he will not have enough time to build the team but has to patch up and go. Anyway, I never understood how you build a national team because there you have the liberty to pick only the players who are on form. There is no need to build them. The clubs are there for that.