Few chances as Japan hold WCup hosts S.Africa

November 14, 2009

World Cup hosts South Africa and fellow 2010 qualifiers Japan drew 0-0 in Port Elizabeth on Saturday after a friendly of few scoring chances.

New Brazil-born coach Carlos Alberto Parreira expressed satisfaction that a run of eight South African losses in nine games had ended, but admitted there was considerable room for improvement when it comes to penetration.

“This was a difficult match because Japan came here having scored a lot of goals recently and I’m satisfied with our performance while accepting that we will have to do much better.

“Japan marked very well and that is why Benni McCarthy never got a clearcut chance, but for my first match back in charge it was okay,” said the coach who quit last year to be with his ill wife in Rio de Janeiro.

It was also a new start for striker McCarthy, axed by Brazilian coach Joel Santana after shunning a friendlies call-up, but his Japanese ‘minders’ ensured there would be no dream comeback goals after eight months in the wilderness.

The ‘Blue Samurai’ came closest to scoring through Makoto Hasebe and Shinji Okazaki in the first international staged at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, one of 10 venues where the first World Cup in Africa will be staged.

Man-of-the match and South Africa goalkeeper Moeneeb Josephs foiled Hasebe from German champions Wolfsburg by tipping a fierce early drive over the bar before a near-capacity crowd.

Okazaki, hat-trick hero when Japan crushed Togo 5-0 at home last month, then beat Josephs from an acute angle only to see his shot trickle wide millimetres beyond the far post.

Tight marking by Japan, who will represent Asia in South Africa next year with Australia, North Korea and South Korea, meant Bafana Bafana (The Boys) rarely got within range to test goalkeeper Eiji Kawashima.

And when the Kawashi Frontale custodian was called into action, he showed his prowess by getting down quickly and parrying a Siphiwe Tshabalala ‘rocket’ away for a corner.

Katlego Mphela, the only South African to score since a fourth-place finish at the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup, had a chance as half-time loomed but fired wide.

The second half was even tighter with defences on top until 11 minutes from the final whistle when Josephs once again foiled Okazaki and that proved the final chance to end the stalemate.

South Africa complete their friendly schedule for this year against non-World Cup qualifiers Jamaica on Tuesday at Vodacom Stadium in the central city of Bloemfontein.

JOHANNESBURG (AFP)

Tags: acute angle, benni mccarthy, blue samurai, capacity crowd, Carlos Alberto Parreira, far post, friendlies, german champions, hat trick hero, ill wife, katlego mphela, kawashi, mandela bay, millimetres, minders, nelson mandela, new brazil, north korea and south korea, okazaki

Friendly failures may spell end for SAfrica coach

October 10, 2009

World Cup hosts South Africa could dump Brazilian coach Joel Santana if they suffer embarrassing friendly defeats in Norway Saturday and Iceland three days later.

Santana has been under public, media and official fire after six losses in seven outings with the sole success coming via a solitary goal at home to African featherweights Madagascar last month.

The national football association reacted by naming three “assessors” – former national coaches Clive Barker and Jomo Sono and top South African Premiership coach Gavin Hunt – to report on the national team.

This heightened a rumour mill already awash with names of possible new coaches, including Santana predecessor Carlos Alberto Parreira and recently fired Poland coach Leon Beenhakker.

While some believe it is far too late for the South African ship to change skippers, they ignore a history of last-minute upheaval ahead of World Cup tournaments.

Fiery Frenchman Philippe Troussier replaced Barker just three months before the 1998 World Cup in his homeland and Sono succeeded Portuguese Carlos Queiroz 12 weeks ahead of the 2002 tournament.

South Africa were eliminated after the first round on both occasions, failed to reach the 2006 finals in Germany, and made it to 2010 because the host nation qualifies automatically.

National association spokesman Raymond Hack attempted to douse the flames of discontent this week by saying the future of 200,000-dollar-a-month Santana had not even been discussed.

But well-placed sources speaking on condition of anonymity suggested the 60-year-old Brazilian who rarely speaks English publicly is already on the plank, sharks are circling, and what happens in northern Europe is irrelevant.

Experienced midfield enforcer Benson Mhlongo raised a serious concern: “The players are aware of the pressure. I can handle it but I’m worried about the younger members of our squad.”

And striker Katlego Mphela conceded Santana media speculation was affecting morale: “Talk about the coach has become such a distraction for us. Things are so intense sometimes we do not know what to expect the next day.”

Anger at the coach with no national team experience before taking charge of Bafana Bafana (The Boys) in mid-2008 soared after losses in Germany and the Republic of Ireland last month.

No realistic South African supporter expected a team ranked 73 in the world to win in Leverkusen but the timid 2-0 surrender only emboldened the anti-Santana brigade, as did a one-goal defeat in Limerick three days later.

Up against a virtual Irish B team, Bafana enjoyed 70 percent possession without managing to create a single clearcut chance and a first-half goal direct from a free kick settled a lacklustre friendly.

The ‘charge sheet’ against Santana, whose only competitive victories in 11 games have come against Equatorial Guinea and New Zealand, centres on a defence that cannot keep clean sheets and an attack blunter than a rusty knife.

Lady luck jilts Santana, too. When Mphela scored twice against mighty Spain in the 2009 Confederations Cup third-place play-off, uncharacteristic blunders by goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune condemned the host nation to a 3-2 loss.

South Africa defeated Norway 2-1 in scorching Rustenburg last March but are likely to find the reception in Oslo cooler all round while a previous visit to Reykjavik ended in a humiliating 4-1 reverse.

JOHANNESBURG (AFP)

Tags: anonymity, beenhakker, Carlos Alberto Parreira, Carlos Queiroz, clive barker, discontent, Equatorial Guinea, featherweights, frenchman philippe troussier, Gavin Hunt, Germany, host nation, Iceland, Joel Santana, jomo sono, katlego mphela, Leon Beenhakker, Limerick, Madagascar, media speculation, midfield, national coaches, national football association, New Zealand, northern europe, Norway, oslo, Philippe Troussier, Poland, Raymond Hack, republic of ireland, reykjavik, Rumour Mill, skippers, solitary goal, Spain, upheaval

McCarthy, Morris missing from South Africa squad

August 28, 2009

World Cup 2010 hosts South Africa on Thursday named a 24-man squad to play friendly internationals against Germany in Leverkusen on September 5, and Ireland in Limerick on September 8.

Bafana Bafana coach Joel Santana handed 21-year-old KRC Genk defender Anele Ngongca a first ever call-up.

There was also a surprise return to the squad for striker Mabhudi Khenyeza, who was axed from the national squad for the Confederations Cup after leaving the team training camp.

There was still no place, however, for defender Nasief Morris, omitted from the Confederations Cup squad for ill-discipline, or striker Benni McCarthy, who has not played for his country since a friendly match against Chile in February.

McCarthy has been struggling with injury at Blackburn Rovers.

“These are very important games for us, not only in terms of testing our technical and tactical abilities, but also with regard to what we will need in future games. We need to get a lot of international experience,” said Santana.

South Africa will host the 2010 World Cup from June 11 to July 11 next year.

South Africa squad to face Germany and Ireland

Goalkeepers: Rowen Fernandez (Arminia Bielefeld/GER), Brian Baloyi (Mamelodi Sundowns), Shuaib Walters (Bloemfontein Celtic)

Defenders: Siboniso Gaxa (Mamelodi Sundowns), Bevan Fransman (Maccabi Netanya/ISR), Tsepo Masilela (Maccabi Haifa/ISR), Bryce Moon (Panathinaikos/GRE), Aaron Mokoena (Portsmouth/ENG), Anele Ngongca (KRC Genk/BEL), Lucas Thwala (Orlando Pirates), Bongani Khumalo, Morgan Gould (both SuperSport United)

Midfielders: Teko Modise, Benson Mhlongo (both Orlando Pirates), Steven Pienaar (Everton/ENG), Kagisho Dikgacoi (Fulham/ENG), MacBeth Sibaya (Rubin Kazan/RUS), Elrio Van Heerden (Blackburn Rovers/ENG), Siyabonga Nkosi (SuperSport United), Siphiwe Tshabalala (Kaizer Chiefs)

Strikers: Bernard Parker (FC Twente/NED), Mabhudi Khenyeza, Katlego Mphela (both Mamelodi Sundowns), Richard Henyekane (Golden Arrows)

JOHANNESBURG (AFP)