TODAY's column is going to be a fruit cocktail. Or should we say mixed vegetables? Whatever!
With what has been happening on the sporting fields both locally and internationally over the past fortnight, Final Whistle thought it prudent to address all the issues in one go.
It was a fortnight in which one felt like Charles Dickens in his Tale of Two Cities when he said "it was the best of times, it was the worst of times".
We will start with the worst of times.
Bafana Bafana suddenly find themselves between a rock and a hard place.
This after riding the crest of the wave, with the Fifa rankings showing a steady - and well deserved at the time - climb up the ladder of the world's best teams. We now stand on the brink of watching the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations in Equatorial Guinea and Gabon on the box, in the comfort of our living rooms.
After the 2-1 pasting in Niger we now are in the unenviable situation of having to beat Sierra Leone at all costs in our final qualifier and hoping our conquerors lose to the already eliminated Egypt.
That's a tall order indeed. The Pharaohs have nothing to lose and are fielding an under-23 side under the pretext of building for the future.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
Yours truly has always smelt a rat.
I think we are being hard done by here.
Our brothers up north are not our keepers.
Let that be a lesson to all in Mzansi.
But what went wrong?
With the benefit of hind- sight one wishes to throw in one's two cents' worth.
After all, someone must be smart after the fact.
That will be me.
After thinking aloud after the defeat, putting pen to paper about it became the right thing to do.
One might be wrong but one's thinking is that a national team should not give the same excuses that a football club gives as far as playing personnel and negative results are concerned.
We have always argued that injuries, suspensions or the unavailability of certain players should not and must never be a blow to a national coach, what with all the players in the country at their disposal.
It has always been this column's view that no player, or anyone for that matter, is indispensable.
Here was a situation that called for calm and statesmanship.
Where the coach could be larger than life.
If we recall the seemingly now on form Teko Modise, who used to play even when AWOL from Pirates when he still played for them, there is no reason why we could not do the same with prodigal son Benni McCarthy, who has been on top of his game since signing for the treble-winning (or is it now quadruple) champions.
His presence, whether on the field or on the bench in Niamey, would have made a difference, especially as far as giving Bafana the mental edge.
We fielded a relatively inexperienced side for a game of such magnitude and were found wanting.
We had nobody who could think out of the box under the circumstances.
And we paid the price. Let us be wiser next time around and put the country first and personal issues always second.
The worst of times has taken nearly all my time and space.
Now for the best of times.
Hail, Noko Matlou, and her brigade for qualifying for the 2012 London Olympic Games last weekend.
Banyana Banyana should teach their male counterparts how to play two-leg matches.
Win comprehensively at home and at least a result away seems to be their philosophy.
Congratulations are in order for our football-playing womenfolk, what with the other Banyana squad reaching the semifinals of the All Africa Games (AAG) in Maputo and being in line for a bronze medal should they win, as expected, in their loser's final.
That was no mean feat. Well done.
More good news is that the Baby Bafana, aka Shakes's Babes, are in the final of the AAG against either Ghana or Cameroon (who were to play later yesterday).
Note that that team was also minus the so-called big names. What more proof do you want of the depth in Mzansi?
Ayihlome ihlasele njalo!
Bafana woes take shine off triumphs
TODAY's column is going to be a fruit cocktail. Or should we say mixed vegetables? Whatever!
With what has been happening on the sporting fields both locally and internationally over the past fortnight, Final Whistle thought it prudent to address all the issues in one go.
It was a fortnight in which one felt like Charles Dickens in his Tale of Two Cities when he said "it was the best of times, it was the worst of times".
We will start with the worst of times.
Bafana Bafana suddenly find themselves between a rock and a hard place.
This after riding the crest of the wave, with the Fifa rankings showing a steady - and well deserved at the time - climb up the ladder of the world's best teams. We now stand on the brink of watching the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations in Equatorial Guinea and Gabon on the box, in the comfort of our living rooms.
After the 2-1 pasting in Niger we now are in the unenviable situation of having to beat Sierra Leone at all costs in our final qualifier and hoping our conquerors lose to the already eliminated Egypt.
That's a tall order indeed. The Pharaohs have nothing to lose and are fielding an under-23 side under the pretext of building for the future.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
Yours truly has always smelt a rat.
I think we are being hard done by here.
Our brothers up north are not our keepers.
Let that be a lesson to all in Mzansi.
But what went wrong?
With the benefit of hind- sight one wishes to throw in one's two cents' worth.
After all, someone must be smart after the fact.
That will be me.
After thinking aloud after the defeat, putting pen to paper about it became the right thing to do.
One might be wrong but one's thinking is that a national team should not give the same excuses that a football club gives as far as playing personnel and negative results are concerned.
We have always argued that injuries, suspensions or the unavailability of certain players should not and must never be a blow to a national coach, what with all the players in the country at their disposal.
It has always been this column's view that no player, or anyone for that matter, is indispensable.
Here was a situation that called for calm and statesmanship.
Where the coach could be larger than life.
If we recall the seemingly now on form Teko Modise, who used to play even when AWOL from Pirates when he still played for them, there is no reason why we could not do the same with prodigal son Benni McCarthy, who has been on top of his game since signing for the treble-winning (or is it now quadruple) champions.
His presence, whether on the field or on the bench in Niamey, would have made a difference, especially as far as giving Bafana the mental edge.
We fielded a relatively inexperienced side for a game of such magnitude and were found wanting.
We had nobody who could think out of the box under the circumstances.
And we paid the price. Let us be wiser next time around and put the country first and personal issues always second.
The worst of times has taken nearly all my time and space.
Now for the best of times.
Hail, Noko Matlou, and her brigade for qualifying for the 2012 London Olympic Games last weekend.
Banyana Banyana should teach their male counterparts how to play two-leg matches.
Win comprehensively at home and at least a result away seems to be their philosophy.
Congratulations are in order for our football-playing womenfolk, what with the other Banyana squad reaching the semifinals of the All Africa Games (AAG) in Maputo and being in line for a bronze medal should they win, as expected, in their loser's final.
That was no mean feat. Well done.
More good news is that the Baby Bafana, aka Shakes's Babes, are in the final of the AAG against either Ghana or Cameroon (who were to play later yesterday).
Note that that team was also minus the so-called big names. What more proof do you want of the depth in Mzansi?
Ayihlome ihlasele njalo!
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