BOLLOCKZ! Glyn Binkin on Bongani Khumalo's future, his fighting spirit, his talent - and Siya Sangweni's role in the AFCON failure

GLYN BINKIN has finally lifted the lid on Bongani Khumalo’s future in football – revealing he has no great pull to return to South Africa as “he has no family left here.”

Binkin also defended his player’s role at the African Cup of Nations earlier this year – pointing to centre-back partner Siya Sangweni’s role in the Bafana team that failed on penalties to reach the semi-finals on 

home soil earlier this year.

We spent two hours in the Ballz visual radio studio yesterday, discussing several of Binkin’s men – Morgan Gould and Mabhuti Khenyeza amongst them – but Khumalo’s situation is fascinating.

Binkin is understandably peeved about former Bafana captain Khumalo’s loan move to Championship side Ipswich falling through when Tottenham Hotspur changed their wage demands and insisted on being able to recall the Swaziland-born centre-back in January.

Binkin, who represents many of South Africa’s top footballers at home and abroad through “The Players' Club”, said: “Bongani’s been at Spurs for two and a half years now. He went on loan to Preston North End in 2011 on emergency loan and did really well until he broke a bone in his ankle.

“Then he went to Reading, started off okay, but after six or seven games, he lost his place and was unlucky. In January 2012 he went back to Spurs, even there he was training and playing in the reserves with Sandro, Cudicini, Kyle Walker.

“He was performing at a high level. Then he went on loan to PAOK in Greece. He only missed one game before AFCON where he captained South Africa.

“But while he was away, PAOK signed two permanent central defenders. He came back and found he had lost his place. But he’s always been a fighter, he upped his game.

“He was patient, he got back in the team and ended up playing 25 games in a League rated higher than Norway, Sweden and Denmark. They won the Champions League qualifying play-offs and was in unbelievable form.

“He came back to South Africa and went to train with Ipswich, played in a game on day three and did particularly well. Then he played another. He impressed. But when it came to talks with Spurs, the initial offer was declined. Spurs went back for more money, Ipswich agreed.

“But then Spurs insisted on a clause which said they could recall Bongani in January. Ipswich then had the opportunity to sign a centre-back permanently. The deal fell through.

“I don’t understand why Spurs did that. Now the first team are in Hong Kong, the development squad are in Portugal and Bongani is training on his own in London.

“Bongani’s always been a fighter. His life has been hard, people don’t realise that. His father – a linguistics professor at UNISA – is dead. His mother, a teacher, has also passed away. He is an only child. He has no family here.

“When Bongani was 15, he was scouted at a youth tournament in Ireland by Manchester United but his mother insisted he stay in South Africa and finish his schooling.

“He did that. Now he has this fight on his hands. There is no family reason to stay in South Africa. He could play here are earn good money with the big clubs in the PSL, but he wants to make it in Europe.

“I believe he has the ability and the fighting spirit to be the next Lucas Radebe, the next Mark Fish. A major defensive talent in Europe. There are a lot of similarities with Lucas. He struggled for a long time but he finally got the break at Leeds and now he’s a legend.

“Bongani is not going to give up. He will make sacrifices. He will forge a career in Europe.”

I asked Binkin if he thought Khumalo got a fair crack of the whip after he was lampooned for his “model C accent” while captaining South Africa during AFCON.

Binkin replied: “I don’t believe he had a bad tournament. He didn’t ask to be captain. It was an honour, he’d captained SuperSport to the title. Unfortunately he became a scapegoat.

“There were a lot of dynamics in that team that didn’t work in his favour. I have the ultimate respect for Siya Sangweni, he’s a fantastic player.

“But at the end of the day he’s a right-sided defender who scored twice in AFCON from the left wing! Did that suit the team? It was good that he scored, but it pulled the whole defence out of shape. Bongani got criticised for that. I don’t think that was fair.”

Glyn was a guest of BOLLOCKZ! my show on www.ballz.co.za, which happens every Thursday from 10am-noon. We also spoke to Wits coach Gordon Hunt, Mpumalanga boss Clive Barker and Tlou Segolela’s agent Tim Sukazi about the “political hazards” at Orlando Pirates. Those interviews will appear here later.

You can also follow me on www.twitter.com/nealcol for all the latest sports news… and read my “Neal & Pray” column every Tuesday in www.thenewage.co.za.

#BOLLOCKS is backed by www.topodds.com - have a look at their site for my latest sports betting advice!

Ntsimbi does not rust: Why Siya Sangweni not Benni McCarthy should be the focal point before Soweto Derby

Wounded Pirates: Benni McCarthy and Siya Sangweni

BENNI McCARTHY’S knee is dominating the headlines again, one day before the biggest crowd in the world gathers at Soccer City for the Soweto derby.

Orlando Pirates fans, with their champions going in to the 90,000-strong cauldron five points adrift of arch-rival Kaizer Chiefs, are understandably confused.

Last night on SportsTalk we dragged Buccaneers coach Roger de Sa out of his late afternoon nap and he told us quite clearly: “Benni is struggling with his knee. He can barely kick a ball.”

But this morning, with Talk Radio 702 running that damning statement as our promo for tonight’s show, Orlando Pirates released a statement from Benni himself saying: “I am back doing full training with the boys and so far all is good.

 “Everyone is working hard at training hoping to make it into the squad. The derby is the biggest match in the local sporting calendar, we all want to be a part of it.”

Attempts to reach Benni for clarification have proved impossible. The last update on his twitter account talks about his recent attachment to boxer Chris van Heerden’s camp at Sandton Convention centre last Saturday night. He says: “Hey everyone hope all is good? Big moment for SA Boxing when the Champ Chris van Heerden take on Hatton in Sandton 2nyt. Come and support “

Benni does concede on the Pirates website: “Obviously the team has been playing together for a while and I was out so, I cannot rush things. It’s up to the technical team. If selected to play I hope to be at my best but if not, then I have to push myself to get in the team for the next upcoming matches.”

For his part De Sa, who has been incredibly forthcoming on our show during the Sea Robbers’ mini-slump, says: "Benni is 35 and is not the same any more. He’s a good professional and we do miss him. We don't just miss him on the field but also in the dressing room.

"You got to understand the injuries take a lot longer to heal and he is more prone to injuries now. Benni has never been the ideal athlete. He is a phenomenal footballer with a great football brain.”

And then this: "His injuries are always genuine, the first one was a hamstring tear that he picked up while he was with Bafana Bafana. He tried to come back earlier and it strained again and so he had to sit out another two to three weeks.

"He came back from the Christmas break looking pretty sharp and we were excited that we will at least have Benni for the second half of the season. Then at one of the training sessions he twisted his knee and tore a ligament in that knee.”

My sources tell me that injury was sustained by a tackle from an over-enthusiastic player on trial at Pirates three weeks ago.

De Sa insists: "It happens. It is football and I will tell you that there is nothing behind it. A lot of people are thinking a lot of things but in this case you can see a scan and if you are a doctor you can read the scan and see what it is.”

With the 4-1 Nedbank Cup upset against Maluti FET College, the 3-2 defeat against Moroka Swallows and this week’s draw against Bloemfontein Celtic to deal with, De Sa is under enormous pressure. Defeat against the AmaKhosi would mean an EIGHT POINT GAP and, quite possibly, the end of a turbulent six-month reign for the Mocambique-born former goalkeeper who has, if nothing else, romped through the opening round of the African Champions League.

But Pirates fans would do well to consider the real injury problem in the Buccaneers’ camp. Siya Sangweni, unarguably the key player in Bafana’s African Cup of Nations campaign with two goals and barely a mistake at the back, is the real problem.

Forget Benni and Moeneeb Josephs, they have become peripheral figures. Both will probably head south for Cape Town Ajax at the end of the season, with leadership needed and a cash-injection from Amsterdam promised if McCarthy returns to the Cape, where it all started.

It’s Sangweni, the cattle-loving centre-back from northern Zululand, who is vital.

Just this minute I have received an SMS from De Sa. I asked him how “Ntsimbi” (“Iron” in Zulu) was in training today. He said: “Will assess tomorrow.”

Before Sangweni’s injury three weeks ago, Pirates were on a run of 13 games undefeated. New goalkeeper Senzo Meyiwe had not conceded in five games and they conceded their first PSL goal at the Orlando Stadium late in the game against Celtic on Wednesday.

Sangweni is VITAL to the Pirates. Both as their defensive lynchpin and a scorer of vital goals, in the marauding Pirates style.

When the world’s biggest crowd gather at Soccer City today, Benni McCarthy’s knee – a factor I raised after a chat with West Ham’s chief coach before the World Cup – will no longer be important.

So that’s it. A late fitness test on Ntsimbi – assuming the Iron does not rust - could decide the PSL title tomorrow.

SportsTalk with Udo Carelse airs every night on www.702.co.za at 8pm, we're on from 7-9pm on Fridays and Sundays.  Listen tonight for Vina Maphosa of Kaizer Chiefs and Mickey Modisane from Orlando Pirates going head-to-head before the derby. Follow my twitter updates on the show from @nealcol using the hashtag #sportstalk

Bafana Bafana hero Siya Sangweni. Nsimbi. Ironman. Has cattle. And a nose for goals.

Seen and herd: Orlando Pirates and Bafana Bafana hero Siya Sangweni

HE’S the rock. The iron man.  They call Siya Sangweni “Nsimbi” in isiZulu. But we hear so little about the Orlando Pirates 31-year-old who covers captain Bongani Khumalo at the back – and has so far popped up to score TWICE to score vital goals in Bafana Bafana’s African Cup of Nations campaign.

This morning The Star’s Bongani Hans finally gets below the surface of Sangweni, the man we can all thank – Siyabonga – for getting Gordon Igesund’s boys to the quarter-final against Mali on Saturday night.

Sangweni, who scored in the 2-0 win over Angola last Tuesday and crucially levelled in the 2-2 draw against Morocco on Sunday, can been seen and erm… herd two hours north of Durban.

He made a 200km trip from the team’s training camp at the Elangeni Hotel on the beachfront to Dondotha Village in Mpangeni when they were given a day off on Monday.

On page three of The Star this morning, he is pictured with his herd - 34 head of cattle and 56 goats. And it could have been more – last year he gave away some of his beasts as lobola – a traditional African marriage payment - to his in-laws in Witbank.

Herdsman Gonondo Gumede looks after the animals when Sangweni – also known as Nsimbi or Ironman - is away playing football in Soweto. Sangweni gives most of his post-match interviews in Zulu and keeps himself to himself. But he’s no mug. He also has retail and transport businesses grown on his considerable football earnings.

Sangweni, 31, says of his goal against Morocco on Sunday which saw South Africa reach the quarter-finals (they play Mali at 8.30pm at the Moses Mabhida on Sunday night): “I decided to take my chance by leaving the backline unattended. And it worked. I thank God for that.

“There were tears of joy.”

Siya’s younger sister Nqobile told the Star: “After my brother scored the goal, many people came to our home. We immediately organised a braai to celebrate.”

This week on SportsTalk on www.702.co.za, Udo Carelse spoke to another goal-scoring centre-back Mark Fish, one of the 1996 African Cup of Nations winners. He said: "Yes, Siya reminds me of me! Not just in this tournament, but when he plays for Orlando Pirates. He gets in the right positions when it matters. That's the vital thing."

Sangweni’s brothers are also making it in football. Mandla, 23, is a goalkeeper for AmaZulu and Thamsanqa, 22, is a midfielder who moved from Golden Arrows to Sundowns last year.

Siya also owns the local football club in Mpangeni – S’yabangena FC.

This blog came from my preparation for Redi Thlabi show on www.702.co.za today!

In Gordon We Trust: two great levellers and a place in the quarter-finals. Hallelujah!

Good Gord: Igesund celebrates a place in the quarter-finals

FOUR months ago, when Gordon Igesund was talking at The New Age Business Breakfast at the Sandton Convention Centre, the conversation started.

On Sunday night, it hit some kind of peak as Bafana Bafana came from behind TWICE to get the point they needed to top Group A and qualify for the quarter-finals against Mali on Saturday night at 8.30pm. After twittering #ingordonwetrust for weeks on end in the face of the army of Bafana Bafana cynics, it finally started to trend.

And last night, as he found a quiet corner at the  Moses Mabhida Stadium during the Mali v DR Congo draw, he told Udo Carelse and I on www.702.co.za SPORTSTALK: "That scene at the end there? When we were all gathered in a circle? That was a prayer. We have some good Christian boys in this squad.

"You know me, I've always been positive. And I'm hoping it's rubbing off on the team. I believe we can go a long way in this tournament. There have been a lot of negative comments, but we are positive."

Right from the start, the odds were stacked against the no-nonsense coach from Durban. An opening “friendly” against Brazil, a trip to face Poland just before the European Championship on home soil, the retirement of Steven Pienaar, the tragic death of his assistant Thomas Madigage.

But Igesund battled on. He tried players like Riccardo Nunes, who took all his dead-balls before the Portuguese-South African-Slovenian was bombed out. Like Dino Ndlovu. And whatever happened to the PSL legends Andile Jali and Teko Modise?

Come Saturday night it was all to play for. The final game of AFCON’s Group A, South Africa needing a draw against Morocco. All those weeks of hope and desperation bubbling on the social networks with the media hacks hacking away.

And who could blame them? The pre-tournament friendlies against Norway and Algeria were hardly impressive. The opening clash with Cape Verde saw a third successive game without a goal.

Then the two-goal extravaganza at the Moses Mabhida Stadium gave renewed hope, gave us optimists a glimmer of light.

But when Morocco dominated and scored in the first ten minutes on Sunday night, the lights were going out all over South Africa. We prepared, stoically, for another elimination by the narrowest of margins of home soil, just like the World Cup in 2010.

Our only hope was that little Cape Verde would NOT beat their Portuguese pals in Angola. 

Then, suddenly, at around the 71^st minute in both Durban and Port Elizabeth, the world went mad.

I was in the TalkRadio 702 studio with Udo Carelse. Chaos. Our controller Owen Matjie let rip with a few roars right in the middle of a dramatic interview with EP Kings rugby icon Luke Watson. Papers flying, microphones shoved in faces. Were we in? Were we out?

Let me quote the BBC at this point. They describe it as “a night of unrelenting drama” as first May Mahlangu and then the tournament top-scorer Siya Sangweni – a centre-back - equalised for South Africa while the verdant Verdians produced two late goals to win 2-1 against Angola and send Morocco home with three points - and nothing to show for an unbeaten campaign.

In those last twenty minutes, any of the four sides might have gone through – at one point it looked like Morocco would go out on the fact they’d suffered more BOOKINGS than the tiny Cape Verde Islands.

Ultimately, through the tumult, South Africa emerged as Group A winners and they head to their quarter-final at the Moses Mabhida on Saturday with every chance of achieving Igesund’s initial target: a place in the last four of AFCON. Even if they don’t make it, they’ve given a sceptical nation a lift.

As things stand, the path to a repeat of 1996 sees Mali on Saturday, Ivory Coast in the semi-final - also in Durban - on February 6 before a possible final against Ghana on February 10.

Igesund remains apparently unfazed by the huge reaction to his side's unexpected qualification as group leaders. He said: "We had to dig really deep, the lads fought really hard today.

“Itumeleng Khune? Fantastic job, but the whole team did well. It’s a great occasion for the home team and I think we made the country proud."

“We still got work to do, but we’re in the quarter finals now, just two games to go until the final. At the end of the day, I’m proud of my players.”

The final word goes to Gordon. Asked by a journalist: “Do you believe anything is possible?” Igesund responded: “The question is, do you believe?” In Gord we Trust.

The Gord Delusion: Bafana's route to the quarter-finals is simpler than it looks

Goalden moments: South Africa waited 316 minutes for last night's goals

Bafana Bafana, fresh from their 2-0 win over Angola last night, face off against Morocco on Sunday in their final Group A clash. The game kicks-off at 7pm, simultaneously with Angola v Cape Verde at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth.

South Africa currently lead the group by two points with a game to go. A win or a draw will see them through but a defeat means qualification is not assured. The two top from each group qualify for the quarter-finals, playing the top two from Group B.

These are the permutations as coach Gordon Igesund goes in to a huge showdown with his supersub Lehonololo Majoro out of Sunday’s game with a gash shin.

1: If we beat Morocco we are through as Group A winners and play in the second quarter-final against the Group B runners-up (Mali, Ghana, DR Congo or, possibly, Niger). That takes place at Moses Mabhida Stadium, Durban on February 2 at 8.30pm.

2: If we draw against Morocco South Africa will qualify, but possibly not as group leaders. These are the possibilities:

a)      If Angola beat Cape Verde, Bafana go through as group winners.

b)      If Angola draw with Cape Verde, Bafana go through as group winners.

c)       If Cape Verde beat Angola by one goal, Bafana go through as group winners.

d)      If Cape Verde beat Angola by two goals, Bafana qualify but the side with most goals scored goes through as group leaders.

e)      If Cape Verde beat Angola by three goals or more, Bafana qualify as group runners up and go to the first quarter-final against the Group B winners at Port Elizabeth, 5pm on February 2.

3: If we lose to Morocco it could get nasty:

a)      If Angola beat Cape Verde, Bafana go through as runners-up on head-to-head result.

b)      If Angola draw with Cape Verde, we go through as runners-up.

c)       If Cape Verde beat Angola, Bafana are OUT.

South Africans worried Cape Verde may produce a “Portuguese handshake” on Sunday should not worry. Angola cannot afford to throw the game. If Angola beat Cape Verde and South Africa get a draw or a win, Angola would go through ahead of Morocco.

As for the rest, here’s the exact wording for what happens if teams end level:

In case of equality of points between two or more teams, at the conclusion of the group matches, the ranking of the teams shall be established according to the following criteria:
72.1.  Greater number of points obtained in the matches between the teams in question;
72.2.  The best goal difference in the matches between the teams in question;
72.3.  Greater number of goals scored in the matches between the teams concerned;
72.4.  Goal difference in all group matches;
72.5. Greatest number of goals scored in all the group matches;
72.6.  Fair Play points system taking into account the number of yellow and red cards;
72.7.  Drawing of lots by CAF Organising Committee

Knowing defeat is unthinkable, Igesund says: “Against Morocco there could be changes because Morocco and Angola are totally different -  different types of players with different styles of play.

“A lot of people will look and say I made changes against Angola because I was panicking but I was not. I took a risk and it had nothing to do with panicking. It was the kind of team I put out to win.

That’s what it’s about, having a team that you believe in that can go and get the job done.
“The reason I took my jacket off was because it was hot out there and of course this is a hot seat, I promise you.

“There were a lot of nerves involved I in the opening 0-0 draw against Cape Verde, but I don’t think the players were as nervous against Angola.

“I want to say to every player, even the guys on the bench, that they stood up to be counted. We were under pressure but I don’t think it was unjustified criticism. We hadn’t been scoring goals and we know how people feel about that. As I said we just need to bounce back and these situations make us stronger.

“We don’t want to get too excited or carried away. It’s only one win.”

SCOTT CANNY, the marketing  manager of www.Sportingbet.co.za who will be on SPORTSTALK on www.702.co.uk, offers this analysis of the odds on South Africa going all the way to the National Stadium on February 10:

·       Bafana to win AFCON 2013

o   Before Match 1 (17/2)

o   After Match 1 (12/1)

o   After Match 2 (10/1)

·         Bafana were 11/10 to beat Angola last night and 12/1 to win 2-0

·         Bafana are 13/10 to beat Morocco and 21/10 to draw

o   This basically means we have a 40% chance of winning and 30% chance of drawing. So we have a 70% chance of securing qualification without having to worry about the other result!

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