Bafana are apparently untouchable

RACE, and the concept of the other, is still inextricably intertwined with the prism through which South Africans view their world. In rugby and cricket, the performances of black players are constantly under the microscope; errors are amplified and their selection in the team regularly questioned. Simplistically, from the terraces, white players belong there, blacks don’t; white players are allowed room for error and time to grow and develop, black players aren’t.

The issue, of course, is a lot more complex and tied up with the psychology of SA’s past. Importantly, though, as much as this occurs in rugby and cricket, the reverse is just as true from the terraces in football. Both scenarios are untenable, but it’s just the nature of this maddeningly frustrating country.

It is because of this that combative Bafana Bafana midfielder Dean Furman has had to endure so much gratuitous criticism. It’s not that he’s a bad player, it’s not that he’s erratic – on the contrary, he’s probably one of SA’s most consistent performers – but, because he is white, every move he makes is in the spotlight, every mistake is pounced upon; in essence, Furman has to be near-perfect to please the fickle masses who religiously follow the sport.

On Tuesday night, the 29-yearold from Camps Bay again proved how invaluable he is in the centre of the Bafana midfield.

The nimble, irrepressible Percy Tau wasn’t too far behind Furman, and this nippy, intuitive footballer certainly has a bright future.

But, despite a sound, solid performance, as usual, Bafana somehow or other contrived to lose.

So, again, the spotlight is on Stuart Baxter. Goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune, SA’s ostensible superhero, was at fault for Senegal’s first goal for rushing out of his penalty area like a naive schoolboy, but that’s okay. Themba Zwane’s missed penalty was so embarrassing and so far off the target it could probably act as a metaphor for the entire landscape of SA football, but that’s okay. All of it is still Baxter’s fault; he’s got to go.

Don’t get me wrong, I have no truck with Baxter. But I’ve long been of the opinion that the players get off far too easily. Someone else has to bear the consequences for them failing to do their jobs properly.

And that someone else is? Well, the coach, of course. So, hey, because Bafana never qualified for the 2018 World Cup, just fire Baxter: it’s the solution to all of the problems ailing football in SA.