The PSL is back: and new Bafana boss Shakes Mashaba weeps

Tears for fears: Shakes Mashaba

SHAKES MASHABA arrived back in South Africa early yesterday morning, burst in to tears and lamented the quality of the players he has available as South Africa's new national head coach.

It wasn't vastly encouraging.

This weekend, we get the chance to see what he's talking about. With Home Affairs getting sticky over work permits, the PSL is likely to kick-off without ANY foreign stars due to paperwork issues.


Mamelodi Sundowns presents the most interesting argument. Their Zimbabwean duo Cuthbert Malajila and Khama Billiat both played in Saturday's shock 2-1 MTN8 defeat against Platinum Stars but are (as of this morning) not registered to start the League campaign this weekend, along with Ghanaian Rashid Sumalia and Zambian Mukuka Mulenga.

Nigerian Ejike Ezoenye is back home waiting for his stamp and even Belgian back-up goalkeeper Glenn Verbauwhede, who claimed a work permit through the "financial independence" route remains unregistered.

But for captain Alje Schut from the Netherlands and Zambian goalkeeper Kennedy Mweene, as well as Mozambique's Elias Palembe, their registration as "naturalised citizens" means they miss the big foreign cull which will - barring last minute Home Affairs paper shuffling - cast a shadow over the opening weekend of the PSL season.


But for Mashaba, the 64-year-old about to embark on his FOURTH stint with Bafana Bafana, this should provide a perfect opportunity to see a couple of sidelined South Africans, surely?

Mashaba arrived back from his West African tour with out Under 20 AmaJitas lamenting: "We still have to groom players. We haven't had good players since 1996. We don't have players who can change a game. We have to look at young players to close the gap."

And he should know. The tour produced distinctly mediocre results. While our Under 17 AmaJimbos under Molefi Ntseki were hammering Tanzania 4-0 en route to next month's clash with Egypt in a final African Youth Championship qualifier, Mashaba's older generation lost to Mali and Ivory Coast while drawing with Senegal and Burkina Faso.

Mashaba, nearly overwhelmed at times by emotion in his first press conference since his surprise naming as national coach ahead of Carlos Queiroz and Frank Rijkaard nearly a fortnight ago, said: "It's even more difficult to take this job because I love the junior national teams. it's not nice to start a project and break off from it.

"I was excited but now I realise their is so much work to do."

You'd think Mashaba would have though about all this before he took the job. His emergence as a candidate only really gained momentum in the final days before Danny Jordaan's long-awaited announcement. Yet he continued on his grand tour of the north despite having the AFCON 2015 qualifiers against Sudan, Nigeria and Rwanda to prepare for early next month.


Still, he's back. Having missed fairly impressive opening round of MTN8 games, he'll get to see Moroka Swallows - missing their three Eastern European signings - at Orlando Pirates in the oldest Soweto Derby on Saturday at 8.15pm. That match is sure to grap all his attention though SuperSport United will be playing Gavin Hunt's title contenders Bidvest Wits at the same time.


Kaizer Chiefs go to Free State Stars at 3pm,  while Polokwane City are at Amatuks. Chippa United, who bounced straight back up from the NFD, entertain Platinum Stars at 6pm, presumably without their biggest off-season signing Fatau Dauda, the Ghana World Cup goalkeeper.


Sunday sees AmaZulu, aiming for a top four spot according to coach Craig Rosslee, take on Roger de Sa's youthful Ajax Cape Town and Bloemfontein Celtic, under new management, have got Clive Barker's Mpumalanga Black Aces, both games at 3pm.


But in truth, all eyes will be on Pitso Mosimane's Mamelodi Sundowns when last year's champions Masandawana entertain Steve Komphela's modest Maritzburg United in Atteridgeville in the opening game tomorrow night at 8pm.


That 2-1 defeat against Dikwena, who wept crocodile tears over the Southampton-like departure of a host of major stars during the winter, puts Pitso under immediate pressure. With 17 players due to go on loan from Masandawana's huge squad and the foreigners likely to be ruled out, the pressure is already on.

But given the money they've spent and the vast squad of players they've assembled, would Sundowns fans want it any other way?

SOCCERBALLZ! my innovative football show on www.ballz.co.za with Mark Fish airs every Thursday from 9am-11am. See Ballz' channel for our growing library of fascinating football interviews with the big names. Ballz will also provide daily World Cup updates from next week.

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The difference between Orlando Pirates and Moroka Swallows? Benni McCarthy. The man who can't stop scoring

Gordon Igesund can sum up in two words why his high-flying Moroka Swallows came tumbling back down to earth against Orlando Pirates at the Dobsonville Stadium on Saturday night: “Benni McCarthy”.

The exquisitely experienced 55-year-old Dube Birds boss was unlucky not to steal a win off the Sea Robbers when Soweto’s oldest pairing met in the League last Wednesday. A last-gasp very Happy Jele equaliser after a spectacular Moneeb Josephs save denied the Swallows three points.

But in this Telkom Knock-Out clash four days later, there was big, bad Benni, the man declared unfit to play in his own World Cup last year, the ridiculed striker who left West Ham under a cloud of fatness jokes earlier this year.

Fit after pulling a hamstring while scoring the early goal against Black Leopards two weeks ago, McCarthy, who turns 34 on November 12, returned to bang home both goals – one a contender for goal of the year - and send his side into the Telkom semi-finals with a dramatic 2-1 quarter-final victory after trailing 1-0 to the Swallows.

Amid calls for South Africa’s top scorer (32 goals in 79 games) to be recalled for next Saturday’s Bafana Bafana friendly against the Ivory Coast in Port Elizabeth, McCarthy banged a long-range free-kick past Greg Etafia – you won’t see many better than that 35-yard scorcher – and followed it with the killer second goal 11 minutes from time when Luvhengo Mungomeni – scorer of the Birds’ opener – was robbed by a piratical Oupa Manyisa, who slid Benni in for the winner.

Igesund, who guided the Pirates to League glory in 2001, sighed afterwards: “I knew it. He was always going to be a problem for us. Benni’s a class act. He was the difference today, the difference between us winning and them winning.

"Benni doesn’t just score, he holds up the ball nicely and brings other players to the game."

The only South African currently in possession of a Champions League winners’ medal – McCarthy came on as a sub for Jose Mourinho’s Porto when they crushed Monaco 3-0 in 2004 – said: “We have a never-say-die attitude at the Buccaneers. When we were trailing 1-0 people thought we were dead and buried but there is unity among these Pirates!”

As for his international recall, McCarthy shrugged: “You don't want to be having old throngs hanging around the national team. You don't want players like myself, Bhele(Siyabonga Nomvethe), (Macbeth) Sibaya and Sibusiso Zuma.

“We've passed it now. Now is the time where they should be building a new talent of players.”

And on the longevity of his future, Benni said: “I'm taking it step by step, but it's important to keep myself fit. I have to be careful and not push myself to the point where I will get injured again.”

McCarthy’s timely brace takes the former Seven Stars, Ajax, Celta Vigo, Blackburn Rovers and West Ham striker to five goals for the season despite the predictable injuries and suspensions incurred since his surprise signing for Irvin Khosa’s Pirates. I make that 191 professional goals so far in his career spanning 16 years – that’s an average of about 12 per season.

Buccaneers Brazilian boss Julio Leal, under immense pressure ever since he took over from treble-winning Dutchman Ruud Krol at the start of the season, is now looking good for a second trophy – the Telkom was the only one to elude them last season - after the Pirates successfully defended their MTN8 title.

Leal said: “That was a good game of football, attacking from both teams. Overall I was happy with the commitment shown by our players.

“Benni is a very smart player with experience. I think he is really an outstanding player. He has not been able to perform as much as he is capable of because of his fitness level after the injuries, but if we can get him to recover completely and put him in the best possible shape, he will be amazing to watch."

Pirates go into the semi-final draw with Cape Town outsiders Santos – they put out Phokeng’s Platinum Stars 5-3 on a penalty shoot-out after a 1-1 draw at Athlone - along with Golden Arrows - surprise winners over Ajax Cape Town - and Wits, who saw off the League’s bottom club Jomo Cosmos.

In direct contrast Soweto rivals Kaizer Chiefs - who had their defence of the Telkom ruined by Platinum Stars a fortnight ago – found themselves without a game on a weekend when they were rapped over the knuckles by the PSL Disciplinary Committee for “failing to submit a teamsheet within the stipulated time” before their exit against the Platinum Stars. They were reprimanded and warned against repeating the offence.