Prove yourself
Chock-a-block fixtures will be crunch time for Bafana coach
IF Shakes Mashaba thinks the massacre in Mauritania was not a monumental mess deserving of the national outcry it got, he has another thing coming.
The next two months will be crunch time for Mashaba with chock-a-block fixtures against the same opponent spread over two competitions calling on the Bafana Bafana coach to shape up or ship out.
Angola lie in wait in October in a two-legged African Nations Championship (Chan) qualifier and the Palancas Negras will loom large again in November for back-to-back World Cup encounters.
The Tuesday night 1-0 Nelson Mandela Challenge success over Senegal saw Mashaba surpass Clive Barker as the Bafana coach with most victories, 23 wins and five losses over Barker’s 22 wins and 12 losses.
That milestone didn’t erase the fact that the 3-1 drubbing by Mauritania in an Afcon 2017 qualifier has left Bafana on ground zero.
Qualifying for the 2017 continental contest in Guinea and reaching the 2018 world soccer showpiece in Russia are crucial to take Bafana on an upward trajectory as per the dictates of Safa’s Vision 2022.
Failure is out of the question as the two are the main mandates of Mashaba’s four-year contract.
But it looks like the main man is impervious to the state of affairs. “I have been (hearing) this thing that people are despondent. If I can give you my phone and you look at the messages of encouragement from people…” Mashaba said at the OR Tambo International airport upon return from Nouakchott. “I have been telling the media, ‘don’t talk to four or five people and then say people are disappointed’. That’s not very right, that is not very right.” Here is what is not very right: Bottom of group M, Bafana have one point (from a possible six) after two games, a goalless draw at home to The Gambia and that away loss to Mauri- tania. It’s a dire situation that will demand a monumental effort and mental fortitude on the part of the coach and his players to dig themselves out of the dark hole. They now have the daunting task of beating Cameroon at home and away, Mauritania at home and The Gambia away to get to 12 points to add to the one they have for 13. Only one team from a group progresses to the finals. It is a disconcerting trial and the jury is out on whether they can rise to the challenge.
The past lies like a nightmare upon the present is a Karl Marx quote apt in relation to Bafana. In the past decade they’ve had many moments to shine, namely the 2009 Confederations Cup, 2010 World Cup and 2014 Afcon, all on home soil — only to implode spectacularly.
But Mashaba came in last year and ushered in a new era that infused a lot of promise.
Some of the players he inherited were an integral part of a poor team over the years. It was correct for Mashaba to close the chapter on them.
His team superbly steamed to Afcon 2015 top of the group sans defeat with credible results over nemesis Nigeria and troublesome Congo.
He was the toast of town and his head-rubbing goal celebra- tion the flavour of the moment.
What happened at the actual tournament is a chapter best forgotten as the first signs of self-destruction started to surface there.
The mark of a great coach comes to the fore when he inspires a reconstruct against the odds.
It was Winston Churchill who said in adversity lies opportunity. This is a chance for Mashaba to prove his prowess.
The turnaround can happen if Mashaba disrobes himself of the vainglory he has disingenuously made his distinctive feature.
The ball is in his court.
❛ Guinea 2017 and Russia 2018 are crucial cornerstones of Safa’s Vision 2022 ❛ Bafana’s turnaround can happen if Mashaba disrobes himself of the vainglory