Safa’s embarrassing miscalculation

October 8, 2011 will go down as one of the most embarrassing days in South African soccer history.

The uninspired performance from the players against a team of much lesser ability and stature notwithstanding, it was the shameful antics of our goalkeeper and the absolute ineptness of our governing body that again left me hanging my head in shame.
So finally taking some advice from my (ridiculously overpriced and ultimately unsuccessful) marriage counselor, let me get some burning issues off my chest before I attempt to deal with what is bound to be a Blue Monday.

Question 1: Who was in charge of working out the permutations?
Bafana’s players, doing their lovely little dance in front of their adoring fans in Mpumalanga, are looking like right fools at the moment, but just who exactly told them that they had qualified?
Surely, they should have been made aware of all permutations before the game, or at the very least the team manager should been charged with knowing what the situation is?
Joel Santana is no longer here, but it seems there are still too many people at Safa and on the technical team who are getting a free ride on the Bafana money train.

Question 2: Just what was Itumeleng Khune thinking?
As Africans we were quick to crucify Luis Saurez after his handball denied Ghana a place in the World Cup semis.
What most of us agreed on was that it was not so much what he did (reflex action to save his team), but rather the way he celebrated after the final whistle.

Now Khune’s action, in my eyes, was on par with that. The way he was rolling around like he’d just been kicked in the nether regions by Serge Djiehoua was embarrassing; more embarrassing was the way he jogged happily to the back of his net, laughing as he tapped his wrist to tell Bafana fans not to worry he was time-wasting.
But then after the final whistle to run and jump around like that and basically stick the ref a big middle finger to say “I fooled you” was unforgiveable.

And just why he felt the need for that is puzzling. It’s not as though the Leone Stars were constantly attacking and us hanging on for dear life. In fact, South Africa had a throw-in in the opponents’ half when the ref stopped play so that Khune could receive treatment . . . I wonder what Khune felt like the next morning after watching the footage and realising that his team did not qualify?
Questions 3: What exactly is Safa appealing?

Kirsten Nematandani’s utterances on Sunday that “all is not lost” and that Safa was appealing the fact that Bafana did not qualify is as bizarre as it is ridiculous and laughable.
I suspect it has more to do with winning some favour from South African fans that have long since lost faith in the governing body. Mr Nematandani, a few pointers: the competition’s rules were there from the start; they weren’t introduced halfway through the final game. Secondly, it is a format used across the world (including Euro 2012 qualifying) to prevent match-fixing for superior goal-difference come the final few matches.

Please withdraw your appeal and save us further embarrassment.

Question 4: Should Pitso Mosimane now be fired?
When “Jingles” was appointed as Carlos Alberto Parreira’s successor, his mandate was made very clear: qualify us for the 2012 African Cup of Nations and the 2014 World Cup. Now to put it in perspective, there are 16 slots available for the Nations Cup, and only five for the 2014 World Cup.

You do the math, but it does not fill me with confidence.
Also, Mosimane’s cautious approach against average opposition doesn’t sit well. It was almost as if he would rather not lose than win. But, this brings me to question 5…

Question 5: When will players start taking some of the blame?
If there is one thing that irks me about sport, and which is particularly prevalent in our beautiful game, it is this tradition of sacking the coach as soon as things don’t go according to plan.
I have seen so many messages today of how Pitso and Pieter de Villiers should be fired but, as a friend pointed out, the Springboks looked like a well-coached unit against Australia, but just couldn’t do the basics right.

That was the case too with Bafana – they couldn’t do simple things like playing a well-weighted pass consistently.
On paper we should have walked this game, but once again our well-paid stars didn’t come to the party. Yet they will find themselves in the side for the next match. – KickOff.com