Four months of Shakes Mashaba: Ebola, no-shows and murder but Bafana Bafana are going to AFCON 2015

DYNAMIC DUO: Captain Dean Furman and 50-cap sub Yeye yesterday

FOUR months of Shakes. Five games for Bafana Bafana. No pre-qualifying friendlies, no time for experimentation. Since he was appointed South Africa’s head coach in late July, we have been beset by Ebola, injuries, scrotum-grabbing allegations, no-shows, heayweight stars and an apparent life-time ban after a tragic murder.

It’s been hell. Mashaba has been through things no coach should have to deal with. But the miraculous summary of Ephraim Mashaba’s handful of games so far? Three wins. Two draws. No defeats. Only one goal conceded.

And here we are. South Africa top Group A and – thanks to Nigeria’s tear-gas-stained 2-0 win against Congo at Three-Pointe-Noire last night – they can’t be caught with one game still to play on Wednesday. They join the AmaJitas, the AmaJimbos and Banyana Banyana in qualifying for their continental championship. All in the space of one year.

Wednesday night is a game South Africa can afford to lose as Nigeria and Congo battle it out for the second qualifying spot for Equatorial Guinea in January. But given what Shakes has achieved so far, the Super Eagles will be far from complacent about grabbing the right to defend their AFCON crown.

Shakes himself, in quotes sent to me by SAFA, says: “This was everything you would have asked for as a coach. We nearly gave it away towards the end of the game, the players all switched off and went to sit at the back and we invited trouble, but we managed to hold up.

“I would like to say congratulations to the players, we are still left with one game, against Nigeria. I know people will think it is going to be a walkover; no we are going to put out our best team. It is more than three points at stake when we go to Nigeria. It’s going to be another tough game like the one we played today which many thought was going to be easy. Thanks to all the supporters, their presence helped us conquer.

“Obviously we would have loved to round off qualifiers without conceding any goals, but that doesn’t matter now we have qualified for AFCON 2015 and it’s the most important thing. It has been a long time since we qualified for this prestigious tournament.

“It was good to revive the good old memories of qualifying. We are not going to Equatorial Guinea to make up the numbers. We have to go there and compete, and bring back our image as one of the good teams on the continent. Thanks also to the South African Football Association (SAFA) for the assistance as well as the sponsors.”

Look, I can’t explain why Bongani Ndulula started yesterday when Kermit Erasmus wasn’t even on the bench. Age apart, I don’t understand why Rivaldo Coetzee continues to start ahead of Tefu Mashamaite. It’s a mystery to me why Mandla Masango was dropped after four reasonable performances and replaced with Oupa Manyisa, who was played out of position.

These are the decisions of Shakes. The man who knows best. Two of those choices proved magnificent. Modest Doncaster Rovers League One journeyman Dean Furman grabbed the captain’s armband with gusto. He was magnificent. Belgian-based goalkeeper Darren Keet emerged from months on the bench to grab his chance with similar aplomb.

Glove story: Darren Keet's gloves yesterday

The pair of them worked wonders after the whistle too, with Keet returning us to the  Senzo Meyiwa tragedy, saying simply: “I just wish he was here with us today, when we complete the job. We miss him.”

Furman, whose dentist dad Ronnie too him to London from Cape Town as a small boy, is born to lead. He said: “We are delighted with the victory, we knew what we had to do and we are going to the finals after such a long time failing to qualify. We started off well and the performance of the players was just excellent.

“But after the two goals we took our foot off the pedal a bit which made the last ten minutes nervous, something we need to work on.

“It was an incredible and much-needed win. Personally, it was a great honour, not in my career but my life to captain the national team but I know based on today’s performance we saw leaders all over the field.

“This win will help us forget what happened at this very stadium when our hearts were broken after we defeated Botswana for Brazil 2014 but we still didn’t qualify because we were playing catch up back then. Today the difference is that it was in our own hands, and it was vital that we get it done. The next match is against Nigeria and we want to maintain our undefeated record by getting a win.”

A year which has seen #ingordwetrust fade and #shakesknows best come to the fore is not over yet. There’s still Nigeria on Wednesday. But let’s finish with Furman on Senzo: “We dedicate the win to Senzo who was in our minds the whole week and today.”

Who's your Dady? Rwanda pay the price for identity crisis and Bafana must change travel plans

Identity crisis: Rwanda's Birori Dady; also known as DRC's
Etikiama Agiti Tady with his club side AS Vita Club

It has to rank as one of the silliest attempts at subterfuge in footballing history. Rwanda are OUT of Afcon 2015 and South Africa’s travel plans will have to be radically revamped to include Brazzaville.

Quite whether the new Bafana Bafana head coach Shakes Mashaba will enjoy this incredible tale is uncertain. Disqualified Rwanda are ranked 101 by FIFA while their late replacements in Group A, Congo, are ranked 78.

With Sudan (ranked 115 by FIFA) away first up on September 6 followed by Nigeria (33) in Cape Town on September 10, South Africa (ranked 69) will now play Congo away a month later as they reach the halfway point in a six-match qualifying schedule which ends, abruptly, on November 19.

Rwanda thought they had qualified for Group A with South Africa, Nigeria and Sudan after they ousted the Congo on penalties (both sides won 2-0 at home in a two-legged tie) but then came the storm over the number of passports held by a chap called Birori Dady.

With Egyptian giants Zamalek also raising concerns over Dady’s true identity after playing in the African Champions League against his club side AS Vita in the DRC, the full story began to unravel.

Sunday’s full CAF disciplinary statement read: “The protest by Congo contested the eligibility of the player Birori Dady aligned with Rwanda, and plays for the AS Vita Club of Kinshasa with Congolese (DRC) passport as Etekiama Agiti Tady, and a different age.

“Following investigations by CAF and on the basis of documents provided by the federations of Rwanda, Congo and DR Congo, and hearing the player's testimony on 11 August 2014 at CAF headquarters in Cairo, CAF established that the two identities only referred to a single person.

“While the Rwandan Football Federation (FERWAFA) maintained that to their knowledge the player Dady Birori had one identity, investigations revealed that he was summoned as Etekiama Agiti Tady by FERWAFA to join the national team of Rwanda.”

In effect, it’s a bit like South Africa playing Zimbabwe and calling up Knowledge Musona under an assumed name. Absolute madness when Birori (or Tady) plays his football as a home-grown player in the DRC with AS Vita.

Not very appealing: FERWAFA will fight disqualification

Predictably, Rwanda's FERWAFA today said they will appeal the CAF ruling, with their case set to go to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Success appears unlikely, though Dady only played in the first leg of their qualifier against Congo.

The shockwaves in Rwanda will be huge while they’ll be dancing in the streets of Brazzaville… but for South Africa there are more pressing problems before the trip to Sudan at the end of the month.

Shakes Mashaba arrived back in South Africa today after a useful 1-1 draw with the Under 20 AmaJitas in Cameroon on Saturday. But he missed last week’s absorbing live PSL action and he remains without an assistant coach or technical director just a fortnight before AFCON qualifying kicks-off with the grown-ups.

The latest word on those positions is this: the Technical Director position will be filled on the advice of FIFA’s technical guru Gerard Houllier, sources suggest that man will be “Dutch or German, somebody like Foppe de Haan, who was at Ajax Cape Town”.

According to my sources only Steve Komphela or Neil Tovey locally had sufficient qualifications for the role, which was supposed to be filled last week. Neither will now be considered. Shakes will report to Fran Hilton-Smith in the meantime – the former Banyana Banyana official now describes herself as SAFA’s “acting technical director”.

Shakes is likely to turn to Gordon Igesund’s No 2 Serame Letsoake as his assistant, though he will also involve his AmaJitas deputy Thabo Senong either as the new Under 20 coach or as a second assistant.

None of this fills me with glee. But Shakes knows best. His first priority will be to get his AmaJitas through the second leg against Cameroon. Then he will turn his attention to a new Bafana squad, who will attend a four-day camp before the Sudan trip.

Mashaba is leaving it late. But after a bright start to the new domestic season, perhaps that won’t matter. But we do know it can’t get any worse than what Rwanda are currently going through.

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HISTORICAL, HYSTERICAL: Orlando Pirates 3 (three, drie, trois, drei), El Ahly 0 (niks, nothing, nada, zilch)

Walking the plank: El Ahly goalkeeper Ekramy in Al-Gouna yesterday

القراصنة ثلاثة أهداف، "الأهلي لا شيء

I am reliably informed the sentence above is Arabic for “Orlando Pirates three goals, El Ahly NONE.”

And really, despite a fascinating start to our own Professional Soccer League, that is THE story of the weekend. Egyptian giants El Ahly hadn’t failed to score a goal at home since 2004. But Roger de Sa’s continental crushers gave them the kind of beating we won’t forget for a long, long time.

An opening goal from Thandani Ntshumayelo after an astonishing interchange with Collins Mbesuma made it 1-0 after 18 minutes, then came an incredible THIRD successive African Champions League penalty save from Senzo Meyiwa from Waleed Soliman in the 38th minute.

Just before half-time, the Algerian referee sent off Ahmed Abdul Zaher for dissent as he howled about yet another crunching Pirates tackle – and El Ahly, the defending African champions and three-time winners, never really recovered.

The second half belonged to Andile Jali. First he converted a 73rd minute penalty after Fathy (pronounced Farty) had felled Daine Klate, then – two minutes later – the Bafana reject produced a delightful little scooped pass to put Sifiso Myeni away for the third goal.

And that was it. In front of a windy, empty stadium at El Gouna on the Red Sea coast, the Egyptians were simply flabbergasted by the Pirates defence – the ageless Lucky Lekgwathi (estimates put him at 37) saved one of the line and tackled with all the subtlety of a Pharoah’s tomb.

It was at half-time I sent the under-pressure Pirates coach De Sa my usual SMS. Ths one said: “YOU FYCKING BEAUTY! ROGER DE SA YOU ARE A LEGEND!” He replied with "Yeeeepeeee" (see screen grab of SMSes above).

After the match, Roger said: “Fantastic result but look, we’re not getting carried away, there’s still four games to go in the group.

“I’m very happy but now I have to make sure we stay grounded – and get positive results.”

So you can rave all you want about Kaizer Chiefs’ hard-earned 1-0 win over promoted Mpumalanga Black Aces on Friday night. Clive Barker’s Dogs weren’t a million miles from humbling Stuart Baxter’s double-winning Gods in the PSL’s opening salvo.

And we can praise Cavin Johnson’s SuperSport United – 4-1 winners over Steve Khompela’s Free State Stars on Saturday – or Pitso Mosimane’s Monyloadi Signdowns for their 3-1 at tricky Bloemfontein Celtic. Some might say both were aided by harsh red cards.

But nothing compares with Pirates’ epic victory in El-Gounah. They go top of Group A on goal difference from Congo champions AC Leopards, who saw off Zamalec 1-0 in Dolisie.

Egypt’s Red Devils’ hadn’t lost at home since Tunisia’s Etoile Sahel beat them 3-1 in Cairo to lift the Champions League trophy six years ago. The game was played in afternoon heat and a gusting wind – but nothing could stop De Sa’s Buccaneers.

That second star may not be as impossible as we once assumed. As I said on twitter, a 3-0 win in Egypt is like the Springboks triumping 60-0 in Wellington or the Proteas enjoying a six-wicket victory in Delhi. Unthinkable.

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Danny's Double Jeopardy: Why Ethiopia could lose SIX POINTS in the World Cup race (inludes all THREE possible tables)

MAKING A MEAL OF IT: lunch with Danny Jordaan

DANNY JORDAAN had no hesitation. When I put it to him that Ethiopia couldn’t be docked six points for failing to honour a ONE MATCH ban, he came straight out with it: “You’re completely wrong.”

Ever the cool football administrator, Jordaan explained: “That player is under suspension until he has served his sentence. He should not have played against Botswana and he should not have played against South Africa. Especially when the Ethiopia Federation already knew they had made a mistake.”

To there it is. SAFA’s president-elect Danny Jordaan, the man who engineered a massively successful 2010 World Cup, has spoken. I thought the fact that Minyahel Teshome Beyene had ignored a one-match ban to play against Botswana could only mean a maximum three-point deduction for the side currently top of CAF World Cup qualifying Group A.

But let’s face it. Jordaan, steeped in football politics for forty years, is the authority on these things.

And if he’s right, and FIFA decide to act against Ethiopia for fielding Beyene illegally in TWO successive World Cup qualifiers, South Africa are home and hosed as Group A winners.

As you can see from the three tables below, the task would then be complete for under-fire Gordon Igesund, who thought he was OUT of the World Cup in our distraught Sunday night phone call.

Under the “Danny Double Jeopardy” (table number 3) South Africa would have a four-point cushion if FIFA give them a 3-0 win rather than the 1-2 defeat they actually suffered on Sunday.

FIFA are refusing to comment on the case “while it is under scrutiny” but the admissions of guilt from EFF president Sahilu Gebremariam and vice-president Berhanu Kebede seem to suggest the case is proven. They can hardly claim “mistaken identity” now, which is the only defence left to them according to Jordaan.

All that remains is for FIFA to make the pronouncement. They will also be asked to scrutinise two further allegations – that Dean Furman was spat at in the face and that the Ethiopian No5 was booked twice in the match but not sent off.

However this turns out, September 6 will be an interesting day. Ethiopia go to the Central African Republic knowing only off-field blunders might have denied them a place in the play-offs for Brazil 2014. South Africa play Botswana knowing many feel they don’t deserve to top the group.

But whoever ends in that coveted spot will know that a final significant hurdle remains. To reach the World Cup, African group leaders, uniquely, have to play off against each other. And with teams like Egypt, Algeria and the Ivory Coast lurking, Brazil remains a hope rather than a certainty.

CAF World Cup qualifying Group A as it stands:

Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts  Ethiopia 5 4 1 0 8 3 +5 13  South Africa 5 2 2 1 8 4 +4 8  Botswana 5 1 1 3 5 8 −3 4  Central African Republic 5 1 0 4 4 10 −6 3

How the table will look if FIFA act on Botswana game:

Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts  Ethiopia 5 3 1 1 6 5 +1 10  South Africa 5 2 2 1 8 4 +4 8  Botswana 5 2 1 2 7 6 +1 7  Central African Republic 5 1 0 4 4 10 −6 3 How the table will look if FIFA act on BOTH games:

Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
South Africa	5	3	2	0	10	2	+8	11
Ethiopia	5	2	1	2	4	7	-3	7
Botswana	5	2	1	2	7	6	+1	7
Central African Republic	5	1	0	4	4	10	−6	3