Erasmus at heart of Bucs’ success
KERMIT Erasmus believes his own and Orlando Pirates’ growing reputation across Africa bodes well for South African football.
It says something for the respect which Bucs’ mercurial striker is increasingly shown across the continent that Zamalek, Pirates’ final Caf Confederation Cup group stage opponents in Cairo on Sunday, were reportedly interested in acquiring him two months ago.
Erasmus has four goals in this year’s Confed, two fewer than top scorer Georges Ambourouet of Gabonese club CF Mounana, who were eliminated by Bucs in the second round.
Zamalek will closely mark the striker, who also played a key role in Pirates reaching the 2013 Caf Champions League final, where they lost to Zamalek’s Cairo rivals, Al Ahly.
“It’s not only me, it’s a lot of others they fear in our team. It’s good for Pirates – it shows we’re also a force in Africa and can compete at the highest level,” Erasmus said yesterday.
“It gives us huge confidence. And it should also be a foundation for other SA teams to also want to do their best in Africa.
“We even create more places in Africa for SA teams by going as far as we can. It’s good for us as a footballing country. It helps our football [by] showing we don’t have to fear teams.”
Pirates and Zamalek have both qualified for the semifi- nals. Level on 12 points in Group B, the Buccaneers want to win in Cairo to top the group, securing the advantage of an away match first in the two-legged semi.
Pirates have learnt to grind out a result in tough conditions in their African expeditions.
“We hustle and work for one another on and off the ball,” Erasmus said.
“A perfect example was AC Leopards [in June], playing on a tar road. We had to play long balls, which is not our game, and still got three points.”
Given Pirates’ international success, it is perhaps no surprise the last two goals in the last two Bafana Bafana games have been scored by Buccaneers – Thamsanqa Gabuza and Mpho Makola.