FOUR GAMES AT RIO, AND NOT A GOAL IN SIGHT: tales of the expected from our boys and girls

THE REDEEMER: Itumeleng Khune was magnificent
against Brazil in Rio but could not deny Denmark

IN summary: 360 minutes. Plenty of chances. NO GOALS.

Every South African footballer lover feared it would come to this. Four games played by our men’s and women’s teams at the Rio Olympics and still no scorers.

For Banyana Banyana, it comes as no great surprise. With no age restrictions on players, Vera Pauw’s team knew they were on a hiding to nothing, even after the hopeful 1-0 friendly defeat against the world’s No1 ranked women’s side, the USA.

The girls opened with a gritty display against Sweden, ranked 5th in the world. They showed little ambition but it took the classy Swedes an hour to conjure the only goal.

Against China, two or three early chances were missed and they went 1-0 down just before half-time before a long-range effort somehow squirmed past Roxanne Barker to give the world’s most populous nation a 2-0 win.

Next up? Brazil. Goodbye girls.

Owen da Gama’s men, in a competition which allows three over-age players in each U23 squad, can’t really look to world rankings given the format.

But no matter how you look at it, the opening 0-0 draw against hosts Brazil and their Barcelona superstar Neymar was impressive. Again, South Africa knew their limits. But until Mothobi Mvala’s naive red card, it could have gone either way.

Itumeleng Khune, the Bafana Bafana captain and Kaizer Chiefs No1, made three stunning saves, two of them from Neymar, to secure a vital point and hopes were high.

Game two against Denmark, who also drew their opener against Iraq 0-0, started with great optimism. Lebogang Mothiba (who should have done better) and Keagan Dolly (from range) both hit the cross-bar and for long periods, South Africa outplayed their European rivals.

There were saves at both ends, Itumeleng Khune somehow kept one out with his head and Jeppe Holberg made a series of blocks.

But in the 69th minute it was the Danish substitutes, Jacon Bruun Larsen and Robert Skov who confounded South Africa with Skov scoring the first goal in Group A as Tower Mathoho scurried across just too late to stop a devastating concession.

There had been a lot of talk from Da Gama, Dolly and Khune about “not making up the numbers” but in truth South Africa only qualified as third place finishers in Senegal on the back of Jody February’s penalty shoot-out heroics. Perhaps we were too optimistic.

Though not out-played by Brazil or Denmark, South Africa can take a lesson from our northern rivals. Nigeria managed to arrive in Brazil on the day of their opening game but still beat Japan 5-4 and then Sweden 1-0 to qualify for the quarter-finals with something to spare.

South Africa’s chances now look slim. With head-to-head the deciding factor, even a win over Iraq might not be enough in the men’s tournament, which features 16 nations and offers only the top two a route to the knock-out stages.

And Banyana Banyana, in a women’s gathering of 12 teams, cannot even make use of the two best third places on offer.

Still, Thursday night will provide another opportunity for South Africans to bite their nails and pull out their hair. A win over Iraq is imperative. And scoring is no longer an option.

OWEN UP! How Da Gama gave the football-speaking nation something to cheer about

DYNAMIC DUO: Mashaba and Da Gama

FOR around two hours on Friday night, South Africa’s success-starved football-lovers were able to enjoy significant bragging rights over the rugby and cricket-speaking types who have dominated our sporting sphere for so long.

It wasn’t the greatest game in the world but Bafana Bafana’s U23 victory over Tunisia, thanks to a single late goal from Menzi Masuku, ends a year of living miserably for disk lovers on the southern tip of Africa.

On Wednesday night, this bright bunch of hopefuls will take on Algeria for a place in the CAF U23 semi-final while perfect hosts Senegal play Nigeria. Even if Bafana lose, they get a second chance to qualify for the Rio Olympics next year in the 3rd/4th play-off, where the winners qualify.

Owen Da Gama’s outfit have proved yet again that a week can be a long time in football. The opening 3-1 defeat against Senegal appeared to presage the usual disappointment. Our defence, bolstered by Bafana Bafana’s youngest-ever cap Rivaldo Coetzee, was disjointed. SuperSport United’s Denwin Farmer suffered concussion, and we all suffered the headache with him.

But that eight-minute three-goal spree against Zambia on Tuesday made all the difference. Orlando Pirates pair Gift Motupa - two - and Menzi Masuku, flown in straight from the CAF Confederations Cup second-leg defeat, did the damage.

Though Zambia had taken the lead and scored a late knee-trembler to make it 3-2, Da Gama suddenly found his side in a great position going in to Friday night’s final group game.

From bottom of the group to second in one step, the side formerly known as AmaGlugGlug were ahead of Tunisia on goals scored - both had a goal difference of minus one -  and with every chance of a top two finish in Group A.

The critics, myself included, were reeling. Da Gama made SIX changes for the second game, switched goalkeepers from Ricardo Goss of Golden Arrows to Jody February of Ajax Cape Town, and threw the captain’s armband to Keagan Dolly.

It was all there: not knowing you best side for the opening game, rotating goalkeepers and switching captains. All the hallmarks of the Shakes Mashaba regime… but this time hope was a strange addition to the mix. Just a draw was required.

The first half in M’Bour on Friday was pretty routine stuff. South Africa had the best of the possession, Motupa had a couple of chance to add to his tally and captain Dolly was twice denied by Tunisian goalkeeper Ben Hsa, the second a seriously lethal free-kick.

But without the goal cushion, few were sitting comfortably as Tunisia launched attack after attack in the second half. A single goal would have derailed South Africa’s Olympic ambitions - but then super-sub Phakamani Mahlambi took to the field.

The 18-year-old Wits front-runner, described as “better than Benni McCarthy” by his club boss Gavin Hunt, immediately added impetus and flair. A rampage down the right, a cross… and Menzi Masuku was able to make up for the gift he’d missed two minutes earlier.

That simple tap-in was a perfect response to Pirates’ heart-breaking defeat against Etoile du Sahel and gives BafanaBafana every chance of joining BanyanaBanyana at the Rio summer games next year. To repeat: Three of the four semi-finalists will to to Brazil, giving AmaGlugGlug two chances of qualification.

Though our beloved national broadcaster failed to show the game and SuperSport TV did so without any analysis or post-match, it was a significant moment. With our cricket team getting crushed in India and the Springboks losing their coach, football could finally take centre-stage with something more than a grimace.

Da Gama, voted the best player in Ireland during his time with Derry City in the mid-1980s, can actually dream of a tournament win, but for now it’s one game at a time “Our objective is to win the semi-final. No more. No less.

"It was a very tough game. Credit to the boys, we always said we want to peak at the right time.

”The boys need to rest before Wednesday night. We want a place on the podium.”

Once nicknamed “Rubber Doll” by his fellow players, Da Gama’s bouncebackability is now beyond question. Just how high he can bounce, we are about to find out.

LADIES FIRST: How Vera Pauw and Banyana have out-classed Shaky's Bafana. Calls for her head are simply IGNORANT

GOING DUTCH: Banyana boss Vera Pauw

GOT in to the most ridiculous debate on Twitter this morning. I was amazed to find South African football tweeps calling for the head of Vera Pauw, head coach of Banyana Banyana, our women’s team.

Yes, there they were (I won’t pick out the ignorant by using their twitter handles), insisting Banyana - who can’t even keep their twitter account up to date (@banyana_banyana was last updated 45 days ago) - were on the slippery slope under their Dutch leader and that she must be sacked.

This came barely 24 hours after Banyana had been forced out of the All African Games in Brazzaville by Ghana - on the toss of a coin. The two sides had finished equal on points, goal difference and goals scored, and Ghana won the lottery, going on to beat Senegal in the semi-finals today.

So Ms Pauw and her squad were, in theory, denied a gold or silver medal in the Congo BY A COIN TOSS.

Take note: Her campaign ended unbeaten. Banyana drew both their group games against Cameroon and Ghana after Egypt withdrew. But remember this: the men failed to even reach the Congo, going out to Sudan 2-1 in the play-off while our women crushed Botswana 6-0 to book their flights.

And here were these blokes on twitter telling me she should be sacked. Sure, Portia Modise, our greatest female striker, retired, and Banyana failed by ONE SPOT to reach the women’s World Cup in Canada when they finished fourth rather than third in AFCON.

We won’t mention that heart-breaking AFCON defeat in Namibia against Cote D’Ivoire, whose captain failed to produce proof of her gender amid a huge furore. The Ivorians went on to lose their opening World Cup clash 10-0 against Germany.

This was what Pauw said afterwards: “My players are all sensational and, had they had a chance at the World Cup, almost all of them would be snapped up by overseas clubs.

“That’s the really hard part about missing out on Canada, the fact that lives could have been changed had we got there.”

But let’s compare this to our old friend Ephraim “Shakes” Mashaba, the man who runs the men’s team. The man who these strange tweeps continue to defend despite all evidence to the future.

While our women reached the semi-finals, Shaky finished with ONE point in an Equatorial Guinea campaign widely lampooned by those who actually know football.

Then he lost twice at COSAFA against Botswana and Malawi on penalty shoot-outs before the current AFCON 2017 qualifying debacle featuring a home draw against Gambia - the smallest nation on mainland Africa - and an away defeat against modest Mauritania.

Not only that, Shaky was feted for his performance in Equatorial Guinea. He was roundly congratulated for being the worst side in the tournament, equal with Burkina Faso. Shocking.

This was the man who told us we would use the “spirit of 96” to conquer Africa, though he treats the actual heroes who played in that campaign with disdain.

Shaky actually went a Springbok leap further than our endless Rugby World Cup speeches from Fikile Mbalula and ASSURED US we’d conquer Africa.

But then, at various times, he’s said we should be topping the FIFA rankings (we’re 72 and falling under his guidance, Banyana are 59th and rising), were aiming to win the World Cup (Russia 2018 or Vision 2022, we’re still not sure) and, infamously, he insisted any critique of his old-fashioned, agent-driven regime was due to the fact he is black.

Amid all this nonsense, Vera Pauw has quietly moved forward with our women, denied World Cup qualification and All Africa Games medals by a hairs’ breadth. She never said we’d conquer anybody, just did her best to produce results without rotating goalkeepers and captains.

In case Shaky fans need it repeating, Bafana (using an U23 squad) failed to qualify for the All Africa Games. And with home and away games against Cameroon to come in Group M, where Shaky lies rock-bottom, our chances of qualifying for AFCON 2017 are just about gone.

After a friendly trip to central America, Shaky has to rouse his trips for FOUR successive games against dangerous Angola, the first two for CHAN qualification, the second two to reach the World Cup qualification group stages.

Obviously, we wish Mashaba well in his efforts. But given the way he’s been insulting journalists and getting his son Jabu to ask questions in press conferences, he doesn’t appear to have much confidence in his own ability.

Vera Pauw is a different matter. To call her credentials in to question is simply IGNORANT. But did the great Robert Marawa or BBK step forward to defend her having been copied on the tweets? Did they heck.

Today the South Africa Football Association’s Dennis Mumble insisted Mashaba was safe “for two years” and talked of “Vision 2022” in the absence of his president Danny Jordaan, now the mayor of war-torn Port Elizabeth.

I hope both Jordaan and Mumble read this. I’d give Vera Pauw more time, unless she wheels out a Dutch daughter to ask questions in a press conference.

But I’m not sure about Mashaba. And, at last, the rest of the South African football media are starting to realise that truth.

Equatorial Guinea, gender, nationality and human rights: Why Banyana's final demise deserves closer scrutiny

Double trouble: Genoveva Anonma, who scored twice against Banyana

BANYANA BANYANA’S epic attempt to lift the CAF Women’s crown may have come to an abrupt halt when they lost to hosts Equatorial Guinea 4-0 yesterday – but look under the veneer of a one-sided final and you'll find there are a couple of very good reasons for their failure to lift the continental crown.

The “women” who lifted the female African Cup of Nations in Malabo might be worth closer scrutiny following repeated questions over their gender and nationality.

My problem with Equatorial Guinea does not start with their women’s team. During the African Cup of Nations – generally the natural domain of male footballers – in January, I wrote this http://www.neal-collins.blogspot.com/2012/01/rampant-corruption-11-foreigners-and-1m.html explaining how the oil-rich nation works.

Although the second-smallest African UN member’s GDP is $35,000 per person, two-thirds of the population lives on less than $1 a day with a tiny elite living the high life.

In a notoriously undemocratic country scandalously low on human rights and poverty indexes, the Equatorial Guinea FA have been known to move the goalposts before – passports are granted to overseas players, birth certificates are altered and huge bonuses are paid to their footballers while the large majority of the nation starves.

At one point during AFCON2012, the team overseen by Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangu – the Equatoguinean president’s son - fielded NOT ONE player born in Africa’s “richest” nation as they turned to heroes born in Brazil, Liberia, Spain and Cameroon in a tournament hostly jointly with Gabon.

But when it comes to the women’s game – where NINE of the team were foreign-born - something really dodgy lurks beneath the surface. The tiny nation’s inexplicable rise up the women’s rankings may just have been achieved using MEN.

According to http://english.alarabiya.net/articles/2011/06/25/154809.html in 2010, during the last women’s AFCON in South Africa, the Equatorians were forced to drop “sisters” Salimata and Bilguisa Simpore from the team.

Ghana captain Florence Okoe said after her team’s defeat against the former Spanish colony: “It is not as if we are throwing sour grapes, just because we have lost. Rather, this is the fact and it is up to the organizers to do something about this. It is not good for African women’s football.”

And her teammate Diana Ankomah insisted: “You only need to have physical contact with them to know this, and we can tell from what happened most times during the match.”

The side ranked 62 in the FIFA women’s rankings – currently 5^th in Africa behind powerhouse Nigeria – simply dropped the rugged “sisters” and carried on. No gender tests were carried out despite promises from CAF after official complaints were made.

FIFA’s response? With Equatorial Guinea pumping millions in to hosting a raft of international tournaments, Sepp Blatter’s people said: "No mandatory or routine gender testing verification examinations will take place at Fifa competitions.

"It lies with each participating member association to prior to the nomination of its national team ensure the correct gender of all players by actively investigating any perceived deviation in secondary sex characteristics and keeping complete documentation of the findings."

In other words: FIFA did NOTHING.

Equatorial Guinea's football federation, Feguifoot, claimed they were being subjected to a "campaign of defamation", adding: "Accusations about the supposed presence of men are totally unfounded. These allegations are being made by groups of people that watch with pessimism the progress made by Equatorial Guinean soccer."

Genoveva Anonma, who scored twice in yesterday’s final against Banyana and plays professionally for the German club USV Jena, told the BBC that she had already been gender tested after complaints from opponents, which she found "offensive".

South Africa’s team manager in 2010, Fran Hilton-Smith, was quoted at the time saying: "I think they are probably intersex and they think they are girls. That's the aspect that needs to be investigated.

"Fifa has to come up with some specific medical gender tests to establish whether these players are intersex. If they have 100% testosterone that definitely gives them an advantage. They shouldn't be banned but they should be helped."

Equatorial Guinea were also accused of fielding male players in 2008 when they last won the African women's championship. They are still the only country other than far larger near-neighbours Nigeria to win the title.

During this year’s AFCON they won all five games and scored 18 goals while conceding none.

The country’s president Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo overthrew previous dictator Francisco Macías Nguema on 3 August, 1979 in a bloody coup d'état. Since then some 12 unsuccessful coup attempts have occurred.

Equatorial Guinea has one of the worst human rights records in the world, consistently ranking among the "worst of the worst" in Freedom House's annual survey of political and civil rights and Reporters Without 

The press monitoring agency Borders ranks President Obiang among its "predators" of press freedom with the President banning "all political dissent" and appointing his son to the previously unknown role of "second vice president" and granting him diplomatic immunity from legal action being taken against him in France.

The Trafficking in Persons Report 2012 states "Equatorial Guinea is a source and destination for women and children subjected to forced labor and sex trafficking." The report rates Equatorial Guinea as a "Tier 3" country, the worst ranking.

President Obiang has been in power for 33 years – the longest-serving leader in Africa. Last year he announced plans for a new capital in the country, to be called Djibloho while the majority of his people lack access to electricity or running water.

And in the light of all that, who can blame Banyana for their final denouement or President Jacob Zuma for using state funds to improve Nkandla?