Writing their name in history
The young lions feel that they deserve a rousing reception after they land at OR Tambo
NATIONAL under-17 captain Nelson Maluleke can’t bear the thought of returning home to a mediocre reception this week.
The under-17s, he feels, deserve better than the low-key receptions junior national teams usually get at OR Tambo International Airport.
He’s right. After all, this team has qualified for the World Cup for the first time in Amajimbos’ history.
This team came from two goals down against Mali during the African Youth Championship group stages last week in Niger to secure a valuable point.
This team beat favourites Nigeria 1-0 in the semifinals, keeping a clean sheet for the first time in the competition after conceding five goals in three group matches. This team is unbeaten against West African opponents in four matches at the competition.
And this is a team set to take part in the championship final against Mali today — the first men’s national side to play in a major continental tournament final since Bafana Bafana’s Africa Cup of Nations appearance against Egypt in 1998.
And , more importantly, this team is the future of South African football.
Not since 2009 when the under-20s reached the last 16 at the World Cup have South Africans had this much reason to be cheerful about our junior football.
“The airport has to be full,” says Maluleke, Amajimbos’ top scorer in Niger with two goals.
“We are representing South Africa, so I am expecting to see a lot of people to congratulate us. That would make us happy and we’d be encouraged.”
Amajimbos have only played against West African opponents in Niger and have done extremely well to defy the odds, finishing second in group B on five points.
But they would not have come this far had they dropped their heads after squandering a two-goal lead against Ivory Coast in the opening game to finally draw 2-2.
When that happened, South Africans must have been thinking “Oh no, not again!” Not a repeat of Bafana’s Afcon campaign in Equatorial Guinea, where they squandered leads in all their group matches before bowing out.
But Amajimbos showed true grit in their remaining group matches against Mali and Cameroon to book themselves a semifinal place against four- time world champions Nigeria, whom they beat 1-0 on Wednesday thanks to a goal from former Bafana striker Patrick Mayo’s son Khanyisa.
Now Amajimbos are on the brink of history and Maluleke, a SuperSport United player, has to pinch himself.
He’s the first captain to lead Amajimbos to World Cup qualification — earned when they secured a semifinal spot — and the 16-year-old from Secunda could be the first player to hold aloft a major continental tournament trophy for a South African junior team today.
“I can’t believe this is me. God is great. We played against West African teams and they are strong physically and we are small. So we had to beat them using pace. We also had to hold the ball, which is our strength, and make them work for it.
“It really hurt us to draw against Ivory Coast because we told ourselves we had won the game, but we bounced back and ended up reaching the semifinal. We’ve also learnt never to give up, and we showed this when we came back to draw against Mali.
“In the semifinal I told the boys that Nigeria are disrespecting us because they think we are soft. But we beat them.”
Coach Molefi Ntseki, a former guidance and Sesotho high-school teacher, is a spiritual man who believes Amajimbos’ extraordinary journey was meant to be.
“I don’t have to pinch myself because God is doing it all. We are in the final and the boys want that gold medal. They have worked hard.”
After playing Mali in group B, Ntseki has a plan to overcome their tough opponents.
“We studied them. They play with two defensive midfielders and they have individuals who can take players on in one-onone situations. The good thing is that goals come from every position for us.”
Amajimbos have had five different scorers in the competition, including one from defender Katlego Mohamme.
Leaving teaching for coaching 13 years ago clearly was the best decision Ntseki made. He has made his mark.