The heroic‚ 10-man‚ 0-0 draw against Brazil by the South African men’s Olympic team on Thursday night has shown that the iron is hot for this country’s football to strike right now‚ Bafana Bafana coach Shakes Mashaba said on Friday.
He was speaking at the announcement at Safa House of Egypt as Bafana’s opponents in this year’s Nelson Mandela Challenge‚ on Tuesday‚ September 6 at Orlando Stadium (7pm).
That match‚ following three days after SA’s final 2017 Africa Cup of Nations home qualifier against Mauritania on September 3‚ will serve as part of crucial preparation for South Africa’s 2018 World Cup qualifiers.
Mashaba said‚ while Bafana’s failure to reach Afcon Gabon 2017 has been a blemish‚ the SA U-23s’ remarkable draw in Brasilia has been another indication of the recent upturn in the fortunes of South African football.
“What I’d like to request from all of us‚ South Africans‚ journalists and everybody‚ is that I don’t want us to take this in isolation. Let’s look at our Vision 2022‚” Mashaba said.
“I was just in Durban where our Under-19s have reached the final [against Arsenal‚ of the Durban U-19 International Football Tournament].
“Our U-20s have qualified. Our women’s soccer did well too – the goal we conceded [against Sweden] was unfortunate.
“The U-23 men’s team too. If there had not been a red card I don’t doubt we would have won the game.
“In the 2022 vision‚ all these players who are playing now will be contenders to play [in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
“In the history of South African football this has never happened. We’ve got to be proud about it.
“We used to be the whipping girls and boys of football in Africa. But nowadays when you talk about SA football people have respect again.”
SA were reduced to 10 men against Brazil when midfielder Mothobi Mvala was sent off for a second bookable offence in the 59th minute after a foul on Zeca.
The result has left the South Africans with a good chance of progressing past Group A at Rio 2016.
The SA U-23s’ Olympic qualification alone caps a period of unprecedented success for SA junior teams.
The U-17s‚ U-20s and U-23s all reached their continental final tournaments in the same year for the first time in 2015‚ with the U-17s going on to their world championships.
This year the U-20s have again reached the Caf Youth Championships‚ with the U17s on the verge of qualifying.
At club level‚ Orlando Pirates have reached continental finals in 2013 (in the Caf Champions League) and last year (in the Confederation Cup). Mamelodi Sundowns are through to this year’s Champions League semifinals.
The SA national team successes have come in a period when Safa has backed the junior teams‚ getting them playing again after a period of inactivity.
The cross-pollination of coaches from U-17 to senior level has resulted in players graduating smoothly through the junior national ranks‚ and not being lost from the system.
“Three years ago we said we needed to go back to basics‚ and grassroots‚” Safa chief executive Dennis Mumble said.
“We started with an Under-17 squad with coach Shakes who went to the Zone 6 games [in Zambia in 2013]‚ won that competition‚ went two years later to the Cosafa U-20 championship‚ and won that too.
“The core of that squad qualified us for the Olympics. And that is the team you saw playing in Brazil on Thursday night.”
Bafana meet Mauritania and Egypt a month before their first World Cup qualifier away to Burkina Faso on October 3.
Shakes: ‘In the history of SA football this has never happened’
The heroic‚ 10-man‚ 0-0 draw against Brazil by the South African men’s Olympic team on Thursday night has shown that the iron is hot for this country’s football to strike right now‚ Bafana Bafana coach Shakes Mashaba said on Friday.
He was speaking at the announcement at Safa House of Egypt as Bafana’s opponents in this year’s Nelson Mandela Challenge‚ on Tuesday‚ September 6 at Orlando Stadium (7pm).
That match‚ following three days after SA’s final 2017 Africa Cup of Nations home qualifier against Mauritania on September 3‚ will serve as part of crucial preparation for South Africa’s 2018 World Cup qualifiers.
Mashaba said‚ while Bafana’s failure to reach Afcon Gabon 2017 has been a blemish‚ the SA U-23s’ remarkable draw in Brasilia has been another indication of the recent upturn in the fortunes of South African football.
“What I’d like to request from all of us‚ South Africans‚ journalists and everybody‚ is that I don’t want us to take this in isolation. Let’s look at our Vision 2022‚” Mashaba said.
“I was just in Durban where our Under-19s have reached the final [against Arsenal‚ of the Durban U-19 International Football Tournament].
“Our U-20s have qualified. Our women’s soccer did well too – the goal we conceded [against Sweden] was unfortunate.
“The U-23 men’s team too. If there had not been a red card I don’t doubt we would have won the game.
“In the 2022 vision‚ all these players who are playing now will be contenders to play [in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
“In the history of South African football this has never happened. We’ve got to be proud about it.
“We used to be the whipping girls and boys of football in Africa. But nowadays when you talk about SA football people have respect again.”
SA were reduced to 10 men against Brazil when midfielder Mothobi Mvala was sent off for a second bookable offence in the 59th minute after a foul on Zeca.
The result has left the South Africans with a good chance of progressing past Group A at Rio 2016.
The SA U-23s’ Olympic qualification alone caps a period of unprecedented success for SA junior teams.
The U-17s‚ U-20s and U-23s all reached their continental final tournaments in the same year for the first time in 2015‚ with the U-17s going on to their world championships.
This year the U-20s have again reached the Caf Youth Championships‚ with the U17s on the verge of qualifying.
At club level‚ Orlando Pirates have reached continental finals in 2013 (in the Caf Champions League) and last year (in the Confederation Cup). Mamelodi Sundowns are through to this year’s Champions League semifinals.
The SA national team successes have come in a period when Safa has backed the junior teams‚ getting them playing again after a period of inactivity.
The cross-pollination of coaches from U-17 to senior level has resulted in players graduating smoothly through the junior national ranks‚ and not being lost from the system.
“Three years ago we said we needed to go back to basics‚ and grassroots‚” Safa chief executive Dennis Mumble said.
“We started with an Under-17 squad with coach Shakes who went to the Zone 6 games [in Zambia in 2013]‚ won that competition‚ went two years later to the Cosafa U-20 championship‚ and won that too.
“The core of that squad qualified us for the Olympics. And that is the team you saw playing in Brazil on Thursday night.”
Bafana meet Mauritania and Egypt a month before their first World Cup qualifier away to Burkina Faso on October 3.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Register (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Trending
Latest Videos