Bafana defeat 'necessary'

2007-03-30 14:13

Tumo Mokone

The midweek defeat of Bafana Bafana by Bolivia was a necessary irritation for South Africa.

After the emphatic 3-0 victory away in Chad last weekend in a qualifying match for 2008 African Cup of Nations, many fans and commentators promptly declared the return of the glory days for Bafana.

Such high level of enthusiasm is understandable: the Chad clash was Carlos Alberto Parreira's first official match as the coach of South Africa.

Secondly, the victory was achieved under difficult conditions as the Sahel region is extremely hot, dry and dusty.

Thirdly, the pitch was in an awful state but our boys managed to stamp their authority on the match and returned home with a big win.

Then came Bolivia, the wooden-spoonists of South American soccer who had never won away in 11 years.

Headlines

They lost to Senegal in their only other African visit in 2002.

The headlines said it all: "Bafana to kill Bolivia".

The visitors from high up in the Andes quietly stuck to the business and won 1-0, and reminded SA that rebuilding is not an event but a process.

The defeat on Wednesday was also good for its humbling effect.

South African soccer does not know the meaning of humility, despite our drop in recent fortunes.

It will take time to be counted among the best again, alongside the likes of Ghana, Ivory Coast, Egypt, Tunisia, Nigeria and Cameroon.

There is an irritating belief here that we're already the best there is in football, even though Fifa doesn't rate us among the best top 10 football countries in Africa.

Understand

The fact that our clubs struggle in continental club championships, that we have a limited foreign legion as our players are scarcely in demand overseas and that Bafana were the worst performers in the last Africa Cup of Nations - a tournament they won on debut in 1996 - does not seem to bother local fans.

South Africans also do not study world events closely to better understand the real facts at play.

For example, Chad is far from being a force in African soccer.

They are on the development level, just like Lesotho or Swaziland.

Bolivia may have arrived here as the worst travellers ever to South Africa, but they enjoy regular competition against powerhouses such as Argentina, Brazil and Chile in the CONMEBOL region.

Moreover, Ellis Park was a perfect venue for them because of its high altitude.

Copa America

It is a well-known fact that Bolivia's 'weapon' against visiting teams is the extremely high altitude in La Paz, which is 3 600m above sea level.

That is why they won the Copa America in 1963, which they hosted.

Other teams simply don't have the lungs to breath easily at that altitude.

Ellis Park did not necessarily disadvantage our players. They are used to the stadium, which was chosen for its convenience and most home-based players live in Gauteng, while the Europe-based players had to be closer to OR Tambo to catch their flights after the match concluded.

But it is still very important for SA to be clued up about these little facts, for the sake of planning properly.

Potential

Bafana under Parreira are looking good for the reconstruction process.

The plan to build a world-class squad is achievable as there is plenty potential and zeal in this team.

All we need is patience and hard work to improve, especially on our technical ability.

The squad looks happy and keen, and we're top of our qualifying group for 2008 at the halfway mark; these are good signs.

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