Tapping into brains trust an Igesund masterstroke

YOU ’ VE got to give it to Gordon Igesund! Really, give that man a Bell’s. Why? The new kid on the Bafana Bafana coaching merry-goround came up with a masterstroke this week when he announced his technical team.

As usual, there had been a media frenzy of speculation and rumour as to who he had in mind to assist him in turning around the fortunes of the now tormented and traumatised national team. Some of the names bandied about included former Bafana Bafana stars Doctor Khumalo, Neil Tovey and Andre Arendse.

Instead, just like at the past weekend’s July Handicap, which was won by Pomodoro – one of the horses least favoured by the bookies – rank outsider Thomas Madigage got the nod.

It was a choice that caught most by surprise, but it did not come as a shock.

Now we have two blind mice as far as international and national team football coaching is concerned at the helm of Bafana Bafana. No one can argue with their domestic football success, though.

They have both paid their dues and that is well documented.

What should worry us, though, is that the mandate given to the head coach by Safa is going to be tough to achieve, but it is necessary under the circumstances.

The 2013 Afcon could be the turning point. If we do well there then there will be reason to be optimistic for the future.

It is the 2014 Fifa World Cup in Brazil that we should be worried about following the relatively bad start Bafana Bafana made with the first two qualifiers against minnows Ethiopia and Botswana.

That is where Igesund’s masterstroke comes in. Roping in the three former fairly successful Bafana Bafana coaches was a stroke of genius. Igesund calls them a reference group while the chairman of the technical committee, Fanyana Sibanyoni, refers to them as a “brains trust”.

In Clive “The Dog” Barker, Ephraim “Shakes ” Mashaba and Ephraim “Jomo ” Sono, Igesund kept his word by tapping into the knowledge and experience available in Mzansi football. This step is a first in the national team’s ranks and brings with it some curiosity as these are highly decorated individuals who have had some measure of success with the national team before. They have medals to show for that and players want the same. He should feel free to engage with others as well.

This seems like an ideal situation to some of us, as Igesund seems to have done his homework and inspires confidence.

For the first time in a long time there seems to be light at the end of the tunnel.

Another first is the announcement that the technical team is also engaged under the same conditions as the head coach. It is no longer one man’s neck on the block. They will live and die as one.

Failure by this technical team will have the sobering effect of exposing the real state of our football and remove any illusions we may have had about ourselves as a superpower.

What we should now be curious about is the composition of the team. Is it going to change or is it going to stay the same?

One of the biggest problems we had with Igesund’s predecessor, Pitso Mosimane, was that he could not make the circle bigger. He had a predictable team. Players who became prima donnas.

Remember Katlego Mphela’s arrogance when he scored a goal and gestured to the fans, saying “what were you saying, substitute me?”

Mphela was telling us that he is indispensable. The ultimate goal machine. The coach had told him so. He had also told the nation so.

We need a fresh start with all who qualify to play for the national team being given a fair and equal chance to do so. Again, form should be the criteria. Hopefully Igesund will not rely on reputation, popularity and favouritism when it comes to team selection.

We will be watching.