HAPPY BIRTHDAY IRVIN KHOZA: but at 69, perhaps it's time to step down

SALUTE! Irvin Khoza, 69 on Friday

Irvin Khoza is a very, very, very nice man.

UNBEATEN. UNSHAKEN. The Mashaba express remains on track with a fitting farewell fling

IT'S ALL IN THE HEAD: unbeaten Bafana boss Shakes Mashaba

IT’S THAT MAN AGAIN. Ephraim “Shakes” Mashaba can do no wrong. He refuses to lose. For long periods at the Orlando Stadium, it looked like his Bafana Bafana unbeaten record was under threat. Knives were being gleefully sharpened for a meaningles friendly.

But the critics were dumbfounded once more. In the end it was a fitting send off for Bafana Bafana. Nobody got carried away – literally or figuratively, though Thabo Matlaba did go off injured – and those bright green 2012 African Champions Zambia were beaten 1-0.

That’s EIGHT games guys. Three wins and three draws in AFCON qualifying, then wins over the Ivory Coast at the Nelson Mandela Challenge and Sunday’s triumph, which could have – should have – ended 2-0.

For long stages of the first half, we witnessed the pesky Chipololo in a dominant role in front of empty stands. Possession was squandered, strikers were isolated, hopeful long-balls were punted. Blimey, even the SABC lost their signal from the ground.

After half-time, the crowd grew and the arrival of Sbu Vilakazi, Bernard Parker and Thuso Phala roused South Africa out of their slumbers.

By the time Phala, the former Platinum Stars man now at SuperSport United, got his well-taken 81st-minute goal, Shakes Mashaba’s unbeaten squad were starting to find their feet after a couple of weeks of festive upheaval.

But Mashaba is the king of mastering upheaval. You can shoot his captain, send him off to West Africa with the youngsters, shower him in ebola, injure key players, fail to report for camp and refuse to answer calls, miss two flights from Schipol, claim fatigue when you haven't got a club – but Shakes remains unruffled.

As the Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula roused from his Sunday slumber for a quick “well done” on twitter, Mashaba insisted: “There is no such thing as a friendly between two nations. There is always pride.

“Tactically we were superior of course, but we just couldn't finish, we couldn't get the goals. The heat got to the boys. I have no problem wishing  Zambia good luck at Afcon. They have not selected their squad yet, you could see they all wanted to be involved.

"I say well done to my team. We got the late goal, we got the three points. And we could have had more.”

Of course, the three points were imaginary on this occasion, as they will be in Gabon, where Bafana play (hopefully) Cameroon and Mali in friendlies before Afcon 2015 kicks off in Bata on January 18.

Oh, and the hosts are in all sorts of trouble. Though the draw favoured them – Group A is by far the easiest of the four – Equatorial Guinea and their imported stars have no coach, with Argentinian 50-year-old Estaban Becker set to take charge this week. He currently runs their WOMEN’s team. Honest.

So all in all, with Algeria suffering a couple of high profile injuries as they picked their 23-man squad, South Africa aren’t in bad shape. We can safely ignore the furore surrounding the axing of our only Champions League star, Thulani Serero. We can stop discussing the omission of those we foolishly imagined were key players.

As I have said before, all that matters now is the starting eleven for that opening clash with Algeria, currently Africa’s top ranked nation, winners of the African Champions League through ES Setif and 15^th in the world with their collection of French-born, French-reared stars.

DEFENCE: NO CHANGE

The back five – Daren Keet in goal behind Rivaldo Coetzee and Tower Mathoho with Thabo Matlaba and Anele Ngcongca – looks okay. They tend to lose possession, go long... and Tyson Hlatshwayo of Bidvest Wits would be my choice ahead of young Coetzee.

But why change a defence after a clean sheet? If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

MIDFIELD: ALL CHANGE

It’s in the midfield things MUST change. Prior to the substitutions against Zambia, Bafana were struggling for shape. Reneilwe Letsholonyane is banned for the opening game after his red card in the final qualifier against Nigeria.

But with Dean Furman joining the squad late after 88 minutes for Doncaster Rovers in the FA Cup against Bristol City on Saturday, there were always going to be changes.

Andile Jali, like Patrick Phungwayo, is carrying a knee injury, but Bafana’s medical team say he’ll be okay for January 19 at Mongomo. Obviously, Jali and Furman will hold the midfield against Algeria; I’d go with Vilakazi pushing forward in front of them and Thami Sangweni wide, though the Chippa United man failed to impress on Sunday.

ATTACK: ONE CHANGE

Up front, Bernard Parker will have to add width as well as fire power, Bongani Ndulula did not do enough to start for me. The big AmaZulu striker is impressive at times but simply disappears when the pressure is on, as it will be at Afcon.

Tokelo Rantie, who chose NOT to have surgery after his partial shoulder dislocation in November with Bournemouth, will be the spearhead. We must pray he doesn’t fall awkwardly for the next six weeks.

For impact, Thuso Phala looks a likely option though he missed a great chance to score a second against Zambia in the dying moments.

And there it is. A Bafana Bafana side without May Mahlangu, Kamehelo Mokotjo, Itumeleng Khune, Thulani Serero, Tefu Mashamaite, Kermit Erasmus, Lehlohonolo Majoro and Tshepo Masilela. Who would have thought it?

Shakes remains unbeaten. Shakes knows best. Even in the Group of Death, where Mashaba has set a target of five points, Bafana have a fighting chance. His parting words? "We won't be joining anybody in the next round of AFCON. It will be about who is joining us. We are going there to win it."

AFCON 2015 special: Farewell Thulani Serero, good luck Shakes Mashaba, the complete guide to South Africa's January jaunt

Ready for action: Soccer Laduma's Joe Crann's take on Bafana
PLEASE CLICK ON THE RED BUTTON ABOVE AND VOTE!

SO Ephraim Mashaba has added Thulani Serero, the world class Ajax Amsterdam midfielder, to his growing list of unwanted players, though he failed to explain exactly WHY when he announced his final squad for AFCON 2015.

With Serero joining May Mahlangu, Ayanda Patosi and Kamahelo Mokotjo in the list of foreign players not needed for Equatorial Guinea. the storm clouds are brewing for Shakes, who has had his job as South Africa's head coach terminated due to ignoring the big-name foreign stars before.

Personally, I think it's madness (and may have something to do with Serero turning up in South Africa but failing to rush straight to the Bafana Boxing Day camp) but Mashaba got through qualifying - with Serero - unbeaten and top of Group A ahead of the reigning African champions Nigeria. So the criticism button is on mute, We have to stick to the "Shakes knows best" hashtag for now.

But forget all that. Apart from the absence of Kaizer Chiefs central defender Tefu Mashamaite, I understand the Mashaba attitude to players he considers unpatriotic for putting their European careers ahead of national pride.

It's worth noting the average age of this Bafana squad is 25.3, less than a year younger than Gordon Igesund's 23 (26.2) at AFCON 2013 on home soil. EIGHT players survive from two years ago - Bernard Parker, Yeye, Matlaba, Ngcongca, captain Furman, Rantie, Manyisa and Phala.

But what happens next for Bafana Bafana, now that they have finally qualified for an on-off Afcon shifted from Morocco to Equatorial Guinea due to the threat of ebola and (some say) poor ticket sales?

With the PSL on hold until February 10 the next big step is the friendly against Zambia the Orlando Stadium on Sunday.

OFFICIAL: the final 23 names for AFCON 2015

The 2012 AFCON champions finished second in their qualifying group behind Cape Verde but are the ‘pot one’ representatives in Group B for Equatorial Guinea. I’d imagine Shakes will experiment a little in his final preparation on home soil, resting the foreign players, trying a few combinations in the midfield and up front with Andile Jali’s knee, Yeye's post-Nigeria suspension and Tokelo Rantie’s shoulder all worth considering.

The squad will then fly to Gabon, west and south of tiny Equatorial Guinea, where they will play a friendly against Mali – in Group D for AFCON – before their final warm-up against Cameroon – also in Group D - in the capital Libreville.

From there, they head to Mongomo, a tiny city of 7,000 souls right on the border with Gabon, which gave rise to current President Teodoro Obiang, who has ruled the nation since erm… 1979. Given the local dictator was born in the region, much has been done at the local stadium, known as  Estadio Santiago Nguema Eneme, with the capacity raised from 5000 to 15000.

Spanish pitch experts IberGreen claim to have relaid the dodgy surface in “record time” over the weekend, though it might still be a problem when they host the Group of Death, as South Africa’s gang of four in Equatorial Guinea will soon find out.

So how does the AFCON 2015 schedule look? First up: the opening ceremony in the Bata Stadium on Saturday, 17 January, starting at 4pm CAT, which will be followed by the opening game between the hosts and Burkina Faso an hour later.

On Monday, January 19, Bafana Bafana face what will be the toughest test of this tournament: Algeria in Mongomo, at 8pm. The Algerians, impressive during the World Cup, are now Africa’s top ranked side and with a FIFA ranking of 15, their gathering of French-born, French-bred professionals may not be household names around the world but they are a seriously efficient outfit.

On Friday, January 23, it’s Senegal with their array of foreign-based stars, including Newcastle’s Papisse Cisse, kicking off at 8pm.

On Tuesday, January 27, South Africa play Ghana at Mongomo at 7pm. Though former Chelsea boss Avram Grant has ditched some of the great names – Muntari, Essien and Boateng – they remain a potent force with Asamoah Gyan apparently back in favour. As I’ve explained below, this is by far the toughest group in the tournament. South Africa will do well to come away with anything from those three African giants.

If Shakes and his boys surpass all expectations and finish in the top two in Group C, they go to the quarter-finals in Bata or the capital Malabo on Saturday, January 31 or Sunday, Febuary 1.

The semi-finals take place on Wednesday February 4 or Thursday, February 4 at the same two venues.

And finally, the final at the Bata Stadium on Sunday, February 8, though the third-place play-off is on Saturday, February 7 at Malabo.

Phew. Sadly, few South Africans will be there to enjoy the action live. SAFA sent me the Champion Tours itinerary for Equatorial Guinea. Just watching the group games would set me back a cool R82500 but that rises to R145000 if Bafana Bafana go all the way to the final. Guess I’ll have to sell the family jewels to get there.

Given the draw, South Africa will do well to get more than a couple of points in Equatorial Guinea. I don’t think I’ve ever seen luckier hosts and less fortunate South Africans – and I’ve covered a lot of them, rugby, cricket, football. But nothing quite like how this tournament panned out.

Below, I’ve given current FIFA rankings in an attempt to highlight just how hard it will be for Bafana Bafana. The easiest team in South Africa’s Group C (Senegal, 41) are way tougher than the hardest team in the hosts’ GroupA (Congo, 62) and it’s surely not by chance.

This is how the groups breakdown:

GROUP A
Equatorial Guinea 125
Burkina Faso 71
Gabon 67
Congo 62

TOTAL: 325

GROUP B
Zambia 78
Tunisia 31
Cape Verde 33
DR Congo 60

TOTAL: 202

GROUP C
Ghana 35
Algeria 15
South Africa 57
Senegal 41

TOTAL: 148

GROUP D
Ivory Coast 25
Mali 58
Cameroon 40
Guinea 55

TOTAL: 178

Unbelievable draw that. Still, having been quoted the price of a family car to make the trip, it’s unlikely I’ll be remonstrating personally with Presidents Obiang or Hayatou. Just as well I guess.

Good luck Shakes Mashaba. As I’ve said all along, you’ll need it.

Gordon Igesund on Bafana's Cosafa Cup semi-final tonight - and Shakes Kungwane on South African football in general

Numbibia: disappointed Namibia fans on Sunday

GORDON IGESUND faces hosts Zambia in the semi-final of the unloved CONSAFA Cup in Ndola at 8pm tonight (live on DSTV 204) insisting: “We can only give it our best.”

After fielding a team of little known international faces in the 2-1 quarter-final win over Namibia on Sunday, Igesund remains upbeat as rival Chipolopolo boss Herve Renard insists: “This is a game we must win, as hosts we have to get to the final.”

Igesund, talking from Ndola yesterday, told me: “Remember these boys have never played together before, we’ve put a team together out of nothing. We only trained together twice before our first match, it’s not been ideal.

“And Zambia will have SIX of their World Cup qualifying squad available. I have one. It’s been an interesting situation but the players have responded well.”

Igesund was forced to re-select his original squad when Kaizer Chiefs general manager Bobby Motaung pulled his double-winning players out of the team. Orlando Pirates also withdrew their stars and SuperSport United chose to put their friendly against Manchester City ahead of the nation’s COSAFA crusade.

In a final blow on Monday after SuperSport’s surprise 2-0 win over English Premier League runners-up City on Sunday, Matsatsantsa centre-back Bevan Fransman, who was supposed to fly to Zambia on Sunday night, failed to board his flight.

But Igesund remains upbeat despite the turmoil, saying: “I’ve got no complaints. These young players showed against Namibia we have depth in South Africa. We’ll give it all we have.”

ISAAC “SHAKES” KUNGWANE is not a bad man to turn to for the BIG opinions on the beautiful game as it exists in South Africa – especially when inside Knowledge is the name of the game.

The bubbling former Kaizer Chiefs star, perhaps the most animated of the PSL analysts on SuperSport (not to mention one of the better dancers), believes the much-talked about Knowledge Musona will be under huge pressure as he returns to the AmaKhosi this year.

The Zimbabwean striker, on loan from Bundesliga club Hoffenheim for a year, must slot in to a double-winning squad and reproduce the form he produced as a hungry, young goal-getter in Soweto three years ago.

Shakes points out: “Knowledge Musona was a hungry young player when he first joined Kaizer Chiefs. He worked very hard, every game. He made his name. Now here’s the Catch 22 situation. All the Euros he got from Germany, what happened there honestly speaking? He spent two years at Hoffenheim and Augsburg and didn’t do that well. That’s a fact.

“It’s not going to be easy for him back in South Africa to a league he was used to . A lot of pressure’s going to be put on him like when Bernard Parker came back from Holland.

“Hopefully he’ll score goals but the pressure will be on Knowledge.”

But surely Orlando Pirates’ own striking signing – Lennox Bacela from Bloemfontein Celtic – will find things tough too?

Shakes laughs: “He doesn’t have the same scoring record as Knowledge but he will THRIVE on the service he gets from people like Dane Klaite, Oupa Manyisa and Andile Jali in Orlando.

“Bacela is an out-and-out striker who gets in the box, he should get goals. But when coaches play away from home, will he get the chance?”

Pirates fans know Collins Mbesuma has been struggling, Takesure Chinyama and Benni McCarthy are gone and Shakes says: “I think it depends on the system Roger de Sa plays. When he plays away, Pirates will probably only use one striker in the Champions League. But in the PSL, Mbesuma is a good holder of the ball, I think I will work with Bacela.

“With a lot of planning – and I understand they will sign some more players soon – I believe Pirates can go all the way in Africa. They’re looking at the second star!

And our new champions Kaizer Chiefs next year? “I mean with Stuart Baxter at the helm, with the kind of football they played in the middle of last season, I have a lot of hope they can do well in the Champions League too.”

But Shakes also offers a serious critique of South African football: “We are a confused nation in terms of our style of play. Our physique doesn’t allow us to play the German style of football. We have to be a bit of Spanish, a little bit of Brazilian

“But we’ll never have that in South Africa. Coaches don’t trust eachother. They don’t sit down and discuss Bafana Bafana’s Under 20s with Gordon Igesund. We shouldn’t be picking the likes of Shabba and YeYe for the COSAFA Cup. It’s for youngsters.

“To show that there is something wrong with our football, you cannot go and watch Wits and Platinum Stars… how many players are going to turn up and watch there? That’s the state of our football. People get bussed in to watch the PSL!

“We also have to address the problem of age cheating in our academies. We should have great development in this country – like Ghana, who reached the Under 20 World Cup semi-finals in Turkey last week.

“The egos of coaches and people in football in this country, you talk about SAFA and the elections in September – everybody is looking to get their own feet in an office in SAFA House. Development takes a back seat.”

Bafana fan guide to the COSAFA Cup: the who, what, where and when in Zambia next week. Featuring: the player with no name

Willie or won't he? Surprise Bafana squad member William Twala

SOUTH AFRICA’S once-hopeful 2013 COSAFA CUP campaign has not got off to the best of starts. Gordon Igesund’s carefully laid plans were zapped even before he’d named his original squad for a revived tournament Bafana Bafana are determined to win for the first time since 2008.

A new low was reached when SAFA announced a player with the wrong name AND club as a member of the re-selected squad – a lad called William Twala who is the ONLY Orlando Pirates player in the team, has yet to start pre-season training and knew NOTHING of his elevation.

Best we don’t actually go into the erm… animated debate between Igesund and Kaizer Chiefs general manager Bobby Motaung, except to say that accusations of distorting the truth soon became proclamations of patriotism once last every one of the “exhausted” AmaKhosi players had been eased out of the 20-man squad.

Is it worth mentioning SuperSport United decided to withdraw two players because they’ve got a friendly with Manchester City at Loftus?

Ultimately, having already left out goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune and the overseas contingent, Igesund was forced to release NINE more in his second attempt with only Twala featuring from the Buccaneers and AmaKhosi.

Out went our number-one-in-waiting Ronwen Williams and SuperSport team-mate Kermit Erasmus, young defenders Thabo Nthethe, Tefu Mashamaite and Mulomowandau “Tower” Mathoho and Tebogo Langerman and those old hands, Reneilwe “YeYe” Letsholonyane, Siphiwe “Shabba” Tshabalala and the elusive Bernard “Scores Where He Wants” Parker.

In their place? A host of lesser known players: Siyabonga Mpontshane, Buhle Mkhwanazi, Sibusiso Khumalo, Musa Bilankulu, Lehlohonolo Nonyane, Lance Davids, Sibusiso Msomi, Lerato Chabangu, and a certain William Twala.

COSAFA SENIOR CUP FASCINATING FACTS:

Hosts ZAMBIA are the highest rated Council of Southern Africa Football Associations member at 49 on the latest FIFA rankings. SOUTH AFRICA are second best at 60.

Losing quarter-finalists will enter a PLATE competition, more akin to sevens rugby than FIFA football tournaments.

The 14 member countries of COSAFA are Angola, Botswana, Comores, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Associate Member Reunion.

Zimbabwe was the COSAFA Cup FOUR times, while South Africa, Angola and Zambia have won three each (see table below).

New COSAFA offices in Parkhurst, Johannesburg were offically opened by CAF President Dr Isa Hayatou on February this year.

The competiton was launched in 1997 – when Zambia won it – and was staged in various forms every year until 2009. This year marks the return of the event after it was cancelled when hosts Angola withdrew in 2010. Last year’s attempted revival – scheduled for Malawi  – was cancelled.

Wins	Nation	Year(s)
4 times	Zimbabwe	2000, 2003, 2005, 2009
3 times	Zambia	1997, 1998, 2006
3 times	Angola	1999, 2001, 2004
3 times	South Africa	2002, 2007, 2008

Though he was announced as “Siyabonga Thwala of Chippa United”, a quick check on the man of that name at Amazulu revealed a slight glitch.

Instead, it appears South Africa had indeed turned to William Twala in their hour of need – a 23-year-old who played for doomed Chippa United on loan from Pirates after moving to Orlando from National First Division club FC AK in January 2012.

Turns out he hasn’t even begun training with the rest of Roger de Sa’s squad who returned to pre-season last week as he was NOT amongst those named for the Champions League campaign starting against Congo’s AC Leopards on July 20 at Orlando.

Twala – listed by Bafana as a striker but by other sources as a midfielder - appeared as bewildered as anybody by his selection. With no junior squad squads apparent for a while, that has become the nature of South African international football selection. Find a promising player, hope you’ve got his about name right, shout it out at a press conference and hope he gets to hear.

In the end it was a lad called Christopher Maqashu at kickoff.com who found (as far as we know) the right Twala – though he knew nothing of his elevation to international football from the obscure depths of a troubled loan spell at Chippa which ended on the play-off trapdoor.

The first call to Twala elicited a "Really? I’ll call my manager quickly." While the second (presumably after confirmation) went like this: “I don’t know what to say, it's like I’m dreaming… but I’m very happy. My father just confirmed the news to me now.

“At the moment I’ve just arrived in Johannesburg from Cape Town, I’m going back to Pirates, and it’s up to them if they are going to let me go and join the national team.”

I guess Igesund will hold his breath until then. I hear he’s already blue in the face.

The great irony of course, is that South Africa will be one of the privileged sides when the tournament gets underway in Zambia on Saturday with Namibia – under new management with Ricardo Mannetti – taking on politically-powerful islanders Mauritius.

But at the last minute we lost oil-rich Equatorial Guinea – currently under FIFA investigation after yet another attempt to field a side comprised purely of foreigners (mostly Brazilians). They claimed a fortnight ago they didn't have the funds to get to Zambia (this from one of the richest nations in Africa) so they won't be playing against the islanders of the Seychelles, not to be confused with recent Confederations Cup whipping boys Tahiti.

South Africa need hardly bother about all this. Given their seeded status, Bafana only get underway a week later in the second of the quarter-finals on July 13.

For the less privileged (though they may know the proper names of their entire squad), a tough group stage first has to be endured. South Africa will play the winners of Group A in the last eight – probably western neighbours Namibia, thought Seychelles and Mauritius will attempt to stop the Africans with a German flavour.

Seeded Angola will take on the winners of  Group B, which includes Bafana’s last World Cup qualifying rivals Botswana, world No123 Kenya plus our neighbours Swaziland and Lesotho.

Assuming South Africa come through their quarter-final, they then play either 2012 AFCON champions Zambia or Sundowner Elias Pelembe’s Mozambique.

That will take place at the 44,000-capacity Mwanawasa Stadium in Ndola on July 17, with the final and third-place play-off both on July 20 at the same venue in Ndola.

Quarter-final failure doesn’t mean Bafana go home though – Igesund will have to endure a rate plate semi-final and final according to the tournament schedule.

Igesund’s take? “I'm quite happy with the changes we had to make. We've got a masterplan. That's to develop kids that will come through and this is an opportunity for players to play in a tournament that is important."

HOW THE TOURNAMENT WORKS:

GROUP A:

A1: Namibia

A3: Mauritius

A4: Seychelles

GROUP B:

B1: Kenya

B2: Botswana

B3: Lesotho

B4: Swaziland

06/07/13 Day 1:

Namibia v Mauritius 14h30 (Nkoloma)

EG vs Seychelles 17h00 (Lusaka)

07/07/13 Day 2:

Kenya vs Lesotho 15h00 (Arthur Davies)

Botswana vs Swaziland 17h00 (Kitwe)

08/07/13 Day 3:

Mauritius vs EG 14h30 (Nkoloma)

Namibia vs Seychelles 17h00 (Lusaka)

09/07/13 Day 4:

Lesotho vs Botswana 15h00 (Arthur Davies)

Kenya vs Swaziland 17h00 (Kitwe)

10/07/13 Day 5:

Namibia vs EG 15h00 Nkoloma

Mauritius vs Seychelles 15h00 Nkana (Kitwe)

11/07/13 Day 6:

Kenya vs Botswana 15h00 Nkana (Kitwe)

Lesotho vs Swaziland 15h00 Nkoloma

QUARTER FINALS

13/07/13 Day 9:

QF1: Zimbabwe vs Malawi 13h00 (Nkoloma)

QF2: South Africa vs Winner Group A 15h30 (Lusaka)

14/07/13 Day 10:

QF3: Angola vs Winner Group B 13h00 (Nkana)     

QF4: Zambia vs Mozambique 15h30 (Kitwe)

16/07/13 DAY 12:

PLATE SEMI-FINALS

LOSER QF1 VS LOSER QF3 15h00 (ARTHUR DAVIES)

DAY 12: LOSER QF2 VS LOSER QF4 17h00 (KITWE)

17/06/13 DAY 13:

SEMI-FINALS

WINNER QF1 VS WINNER QF3 17h00 (LEVY)

WINNER QF2 VS WINNER QF4 20h00 (MWANAWASA)

18/06/13 DAY 14:

PLATE FINAL:

WINNER PLATE SF1 VS WINNER PLATE SF2 15h00 (KITWE)

19/06/13 DAY 15: REST DAY

20/06/13 DAY 16:

THIRD-PLACE PLAY-OFF:

LOSER SF1 VS LOSER SF2 @ 13:00 (MWANAWASA)

FINAL:

WINNER SF1 VS WINNER SF2 @ 15:00 (NDOLA)

FINALISED BAFANA SQUAD *pending Bobby’s proclamations

Goalkeepers: Wayne Sandilands (Mamelodi Sundowns), Siyabonga Mpontshane (Platinum Stars)

Defenders: Sibusiso Khumalo, Bevan Fransman (SuperSport United), Buhle Mkhwanazi (University of Pretoria), Musa Bilankulu (Bidvest Wits), Thulani Hlatshwayo (Ajax Cape Town), Lehlohonolo Nonyane (Jomo Cosmos), Tshepo Gumede (Platinum Stars)

Midfielders: Sibusiso Msomi (Platinum Stars), Lerato Chabangu (Moroka Swallows), Jabulani Shongwe, Hlompho Kekana (both Mamelodi Sundowns), Luyolo Nomandela (Free State Stars), Ruzaigh Gamildien (Bloemfontein Celtic), Lance Davids, Lebogang Manyana (both Ajax Cape Town)

Forwards: Katlego Mashego (Moroka Swallows), William Twala (Chippa United) and Thabani Mthembu (Platinum Stars)

No Tower. No Major. Let's hope Gordon Igesund hasn't made his first mistake as Bafana coach

Major mistake: Lehlohonolo Major is in fine form

WHEN Bafana Bafana entertain the reigning African champions Zambia on Wednesday night in honour of Nelson Mandela at Soccer City, two of the nation’s form players will be watching the game on the television.

Despite Gordon Igesund’s insistence that he would be “picking players who are doing well for their clubs” the two men who have kept Kaizer Chiefs at the top of the Professional Soccer League table do NOT feature in his squad for the Nelson Mandela Challenge this week.

Mulomowandau Mathoho and Lehlohonolo Majoro – perhaps better known as the Tower and the Major – have been the driving force behind the AmaKhosi’s hugely popular ascent to the top of the local tree. While Igesund spent last week visiting Everton’s Steven Pienaar and Norwich City’s Andrew Surman, Mathoho was a Tower of strength in Chiefs’ wins over Golden Arrows and SuperSport United.

Lest we forget, Bernard Parker scored all the Chiefs goals early on – including a remarkable four against AmaZulu – to force his way in to Gordon’s squad. But with Kingston Nkatha also weighing in up front, Majoro - despite his new, boring hairstyle - is currently the nation’s form goal-getter with five goals in four games. He now trails Parker by one, with six PSL strikes.

And at the back, it is Mathoho – along with Igesund’s favourite goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune – who has ensured the AmaKhosi have conceded a league-leading five goals in 11 games.

Chiefs boss Stuart Baxter, looking more comfortable by the week, said after Majoro had scored both goals in the 2-1 win over previously unbeaten SuperSport United, said: “Major dares me to leave him out of the starting line-up. He trains well and he looks so threatening. I have to pick him.”

And Mathoho, man of the match in the midweek 3-0 win over Golden Arrows, was overlooked yesterday when Igesund decided to call up team-mate Siboniso Gaxa to replace the injured Siya Sangweni in central defence.

Gaxa, like fellow squad members Anele Ngcongca (Racing Club Genk, Belgium), Ricardo Nunes (MSK Zilina), Punch Masenamela (Mamelodi Sundowns) and Thabo Nthethe (Bloemfontein Celtic) is more of a full-back than a central defender. Which leaves us with SuperSport United's Bevan Fransman to fill the a hole and stifle Zambia's big Pirate, Collins Mbesuma.

Thus far, Igesund has used Orlando Pirate Sangweni at centre-back next to captain Bongani Khumalo, currently strutting his stuff for PAOK in Greece. Given Sangweni’s knee injury, the failure to call up Tower is probably even more startling than the decision to overlook Majoro for his team-mate Parker, Tokelo Rantie, Katlego Mashego and Kermit Erasmus up front.

After his strirring efforts last week, Tower grinned: “Credit should go to each and every one in the team. I do not do it alone; we win as a team.

“We need to make sure that we follow our game plan. Winning can be a habit.”

It’s a habit Gordon MUST have by the time AFCON 2013 kicks off at the same Soccer City venue on January 19 against Cape Verde Islands. Still, Igesund does have another form player to turn to. Sifiso Myeni continues to impress in Orlando, scoring the only goal against Steve Komphela’s men on Saturday to put the Pirates second in the PSL.

Coach Roger de Sa, another boss who appears to be enjoying himself lately, said of the youngster he first groomed at Wits: “Sifiso? I’m delighted. With his form and his goal-scoring ability. I know him pretty well and he is playing with a lot of confidence.

“At the moment he is carrying us.”

Hopefully he will carry Gordon’s Bafana on Wednesday night too. But you can’t help thinking the Tower and the Major would have made his task that much easier. 

Gordon spent today's press conferences and media chats outlining his successes and failures on the whistle-stop tour of the UK last week.

He told us he talked to Norwich City's South African-born Andrew Surman and explained: "He didn't seem interested, so I left it at that."

And Igesund went to great lengths to insist he "only went for a cup of coffee" with Steven Pienaar, who announced his international retirement last month. Gordon repeatedly stressed: "The subject of Bafana didn't come up. I wasn't there to beg him to change his mind. He's a man. It was a tough decision. We have to respect that.

"I spoke to Steve about his family - there was some good news about his wife - and I discussed football with him and his coach, David Moyes. Stevie said how much he was enjoying his football. But he says because of the condition of his groin, he can only train twice a week and needs a day to recover afterwards.

Steven Pienaar has been a great ambassador for this country for ten years. He deserves recognition for that. That's why I saw him. Not to make him change his mind. We just had a cup of coffee, that's all. He talked about the differences between Spurs and Everton, stuff like that.

"Is the door closed for Pienaar? Will he ever play for South Africa again? Look, I will never close the door on any South African who wants to play for his country. That's how it is."

The good news came in the shape of Kagiso Dikgacoi at Crystal Palace and Dean Furman, the Oldham Athletic captain. Igesund explained: "I visited both of them. I met KD's new coach at Palace, Ian (Holloway) and he was full of praise for KD. He's made a place for himself there in a very competitive league. I watched him played in a defensive role against Ipswich.

"And I phoned Ian after Palace won over the weekend and KD scored. They are top of that league, he is doing well. Ian said he can playing attacking or defensive. They love him there.

"And with both Oldham and Palace, I got what I wanted. I asked them to release KD and Furman a week early. FIFA stipulates they only have to be released two weeks before the tournament. But I've got their clubs to agree to let me have them on January 1.

"That was why I made the trip. To get to know these managers. To build a relationship. Some games, against local sides, I won't call their players. It's give and take.

"Now I have to build that relationship, with the managers in Begium, Holland and Greece too. That is my job.

"I also spoke to David Somma at Leeds. He's been out of football for a long time with a knee ligament problem but he's played two games for the reserves and he's nearly there.

"It's the same for Thulani Serero at Ajax Amsterdam. He is training again too. But for all these players, Morgan Gould, Killer Mphela and Benni McCarthy, they are back in training but they have to play for their club teams before I can seriously consider them.

"It isn't too late for any of them. But it's getting late. We kick off AFCON on January 19. Time is limited."

A shortened version of this story will appear as my Neal and Pray column in tomorrow's The New Age. See www.thenewage.co.za.

Game of the season followed by warmed balls... and Gordon's latest Bafana

Gotcha: The picture that proves Celtic goalkeeper Amour
Tignyemb moved off his line for the Manyisa penalty

IT’S not often you witness a side 3-1 up in the 90^th minute of a quarter-final go crashing out of a cup competition. Yet somehow, that is exactly what habitual treble winners Orlando Pirates contrived to manage in Bloemfontein on Sunday.

Roger and out? For the Buccaneers’ hopes of defending the Telkom Knock Out it was certainly that. Comfortable progress was wrecked by TWO late Celtic goals which sees both Free State sides join the Tshwane rivals SuperSport United and Mamelodi Sundowns in the semi-finals after an epic weekend of knock-out action.

Predictably (I said so on twitter shortly before the draw) we have ended up with two derbies in the semi-finals, and I'm predicting a final at Irvin Khoza's Orlando Stadium now his beloved Pirates are out.That's what happpened in the MTN8 showdown and nobody complained. It's all about warming your balls at these draws, or so Diego Maradona told me once.  Gavin Hunt and Steve Komphela are tasked with derailing a lucrative Celtic v Sundowns final. 

Right on cue, SuperSport United midfielder Franklin Cale came up with this comforting quote after the draw: “I am happy, it is a lovely draw. I did not expect to play against Sundowns but I am happy with the draw."

But I digress. As the social networks buzzed with scathing critiques of Pirates coach Roger de Sa – particularly over his use of substitutes in perhaps the best game of the season so far – it’s worth noting blooming Celtic needed a little help to reach their semi-final against Free State Stars.

Firstly, consider the penalty that put Celtic on the scoresheet. After a scintillating free-kick from Daine Klate and a second goal from Oupa Manyisa, referee Victory Gomez surprised even the ardent home fans with his decision to penalise Siya Sangweni for a clumsy challenge on the edge of the area.

Lennox Bacela scored from the penalty spot, but within seconds in a five-goal second-half, Thabo Matlaba produced a scorcher to restore the two-goal cushion.

Then, with 90 minutes on the clock, Ruzaigh Gamildien’s head made it 3-2 amid a host of time-wasting Piratical injuries which included everything medical ailment known to man, apart from the traditional eye-patch.

And there was Botswana's Joel Mogorosi, after a ponderous Moeneeb Joseph punch, bicycle-kicking the equaliser in the fourth minute of extra-time. Pure footballing theatre which left the nation on the edge of their seats, at the Free State Stadium and at home.

Extra-time came and went without a clincher… and when it came to penalties if front of the impassioned Phunya Sele Sele fans, Celtic were perfect from Bacela to the nerveless Dominic Isaacs, who calmly clobbered the fifth and final nail in to Joseph’s sound-proofed coffin.

Celtic boss Clinton Larsen grinned: "Normally when you are trailing with minutes to go teams give up, but it was the opposite for my players. We showed a lot of character and commitment. We are starting to gel now.”

But Larsen failed to discuss the Bacela penalty during normal time – or the fact his beautifully-named Cameroon goalkeeper Patrick Amour Tignyemb, the man in the Petr Cech headgear, was a yard off his line for the decisive Manyisa penalty save in the shoot-out.

On top of that, De Sa – panned for replacing striker Collins Mbesuma with luckless Ndumiso Mabena and forced to put Lucky Lekgwathi on at full-back early on – had to contend with an injury to Andile Jali after he had made his three replacements. Jali limped through to the finish and even converted a spot kick, but in truth he was struggling through the vital stages. Perhaps that's why Gordon Igesund chose to leave him out of yet another Bafana squad today, though rumours of the reasons behind his glaring ommission continue to plague the social networks.

And then of course, we must consider history. For all their recent trophy-winning form the Pirates – who will have to lift the African Champions League, PSL and Nedbank Cup to complete a miraculous third successive treble – have not won at the Free State Stadium since 2008.

Now De Sa finds himself back in a must-win situation against reviving Mamelodi Sundowns at Loftus Versfeld in the PSL tomorrow night. But he does have an ace up his sleeve. The former Wits coach reveals: “Benni McCarthy will be in the squad. He scored in a friendly 2-2 draw against AmaTuks on Saturday and I can assure you that if he sits on my bench, he is fully fit.”

With one Piratical eye on the so-called spat with Bafana coach Igesund, De Sa added: “If Benni is ready to play for us, he is ready to play for anyone.”

Sadly, it all comes too early for the national squad named yesterday to face AFCON champions Zambia at Soccer City in the Mandela Challenge on November 14. We might have seen McCarthy face up against current Orlando Pirates top-scorer Collins Mbesuma.

Instead, it appears Igesund will opt for Bernard Parker and Benni's former strike partner Tokelo Rantie. Interestingly, both Wayne Sandilands and Moeneeb Josephs have been discarded as Itumeleng Khune's goalkeeping back-up with former Wits stopper Darren Keet, 23, asked to fly over from Belgium for the game.

Gordon's former Moroka Swallows striker Katlego Mashego earns a call up front, hardly a surprise considering his six goals for the Birds so far this season. There are also long-awaited recalls for Thanduyise Khuboni (Lamontville Golden Arrows), Thuso Phala (Platinum Stars) and Kermit Erasmus (Supersport United) in a squad Igesund describes as a "last chance" saloon.

Igesund claims he picked Orlando Pirates midfielder Andile Jali for the Zambia game but crossed his name off when it was revealed he would be out injured after the knee injury he sustained against Celtic on Sunday. He said: "Andile is a good player, I had him in the squad until they called this morning."

With the African Cup of Nations kicking off at Soccer City on January 19, Igesund and his No2 Serame Letsoaka will fly to England tonight to chat to foreign-based Bafana stars, and as I twittered last week, the trip WILL include a chat with Everton's Steven Pienaar.

Igesund said: "Look, we'll have a cup of coffee. I think I owe him at least that. We can't turn our backs on him. Steve has been a great ambassador for his country, he gave us 10 years of service.

“There was lots of criticism. Plenty of talk. People thought he shouldn’t be the captain. I want to ask him why he retired. It must have been a very tough decision based obviously on  being away for six weeks at a key part of the season in the UK.

“The main reason I'm flying over is to try to get my players released a week early, over Christmas. It is very important to have a relationship with these managers, we’ll try to look after each other.”

My expected starting line-up against Zambia: Khune; Ngcongca, Sangweni, Khumalo (capt), Masenamela; Myeni, Furman, Dikgachoi, Modise; Parker, Rantie.

BAFANA BAFANA SQUAD TO FACE ZAMBIA:

Goalkeepers
Itumeleng Khune (Kaizer Chiefs)
Darren Keet (KV Kortrijk, Belgium)

Defenders
Anele Ngcongca (Racing Club Genk, Belgium)
Siyabonga Sangweni (Orlando Pirates)
Bongani Khumalo (PAOK, Greece) (captain)
Bevan Fransman (SuperSport United)
Ricardo Nunes (MSK Zilina, Slovakia)
Punch Masenamela (Mamelodi Sundowns)
Thabo Nthethe (Bloemfontein Celtic)

Midfielders
Dean Furman (Oldham Athletic, England)
Thanduyise Khuboni (Golden Arrows)
Reneilwe Letsholonyane (Kaizer Chiefs)
Lerato Chabangu (Moroka Swallows)
Kagisho Dikgacoi (Crystal Palace, England)
Teko Modise (Mamelodi Sundowns)
Oupa Manyisa (Orlando Pirates)
Thuso Phala (Platinum Stars)
Sifiso Myeni (Orlando Pirates)
Siphiwe Tshabalala (Kaizer Chiefs)
Delron Buckley (Maritzburg United)

Strikers
Bernard Parker (Kaizer Chiefs)
Katlego Mashego (Moroka Swallows)
Tokelo Rantie (Malmo FF, Sweden)
Kermit Erasmus (SuperSport United)

Collins Mbesuma: The former Chief who saved Pirates when they needed it most

Double trouble: Collins Mbesuma has scored twice, twice

“It’s not going to be easy because Orlando Pirates have good strikers. But I will do my best.”

Those were the words uttered by Collins Mbesuma when he signed on the dotted line for Dr Irvin Khoza on August 15, 2012, a full seven years after leaving the employ of the Iron Duke’s arch-rival Kaizer Motaung.

A quick refresher course: way back in 2004/2005 Mbesuma – then barely out of his teens - scored a record 39 goals in all competitions to help Ted Dumitru’s Amakhosi pip the Bucs to the PSL title. The lad from Luanshya was hailed as the next big thing to come out of Africa.

But the European dream didn’t quite work out. Mbesuma, though wanted by Sam Allardyce at Blackburn Rovers, chose a notoriously dodgy transfer to Portsmouth, where he played just four games before things fell apart at Fratton Park.

That was followed by a loan move to Portugal’s Maritimo and an unhappy spell with Bursaspor in Turkey, where his time-keeping was called in to question amid a welter of suspensions.

Mbesuma returned to South Africa in 2008 and tried his hand with Mamelodi Sundowns and Moroka Swallows before finding his feet again at Golden Arrows in Lamontville, where he played 43 games and scored 18 goals to attract the attention of Dr Khoza and his man with the cheque book, Screamer Tshabalala.

Nobody expected much from the experienced feet (and head) of the 28-year-old Zambian, who played only a minor role in his nation’s historic African Cup of Nations triumph last year.

Mbesuma’s best days were behind him, we were told. And they came in the gold-an-black half of Soweto. In that emotional Zambian AFCON triumph last year, Mbesuma played a total of 42 minutes, he was written off as past it and lacking commitment.

He arrived at Pirates as Augusto Palacios’s final signing, saying: “I will just have to prove myself. I want to be successful with Pirates and win things with them. I think I need competition and I know Pirates is a big team so I just want to compete.”

Compete? He’s done more than that. A lot more. With Tokelo Rantie inexplicably allowed to slip away and Takesure Chinayama and Benni McCarthy injured, Mbesuma has proved the unlikely saviour for the new Bucs coaching duo of Roger de Sa and Eric Tinkler.

When they needed inspiration while trailing promoted upstarts AmaTuks 1-0 at Loftus Versfeld a fortnight ago, it was Mbesuma who provided the goals either side of Andile Jali’s penalty to seal a much-needed 3-1 PSL victory against the unbeaten students.

And when they came up against lively Leopards in the Telkom Knock-out on Saturday, there he was again, striking both goals in a 2-0 triumph which left most people raving about the form of Lehlogonolo “Vieira” Masalesa and Sifiso Myeni, both De Sa products from his Clever Boys days.

Yes, De Sa can claim some credit for his former Witsies, but without Mbesuma’s goals, where exactly would Pirates be right now?

With last season’s top-scorer McCarthy approaching fitness and Chinyama also due to return, De Sa has only praise for Mbesuma’s unexpected revival: "I have never doubted Mbesuma's scoring abilities. We are working on improving his fitness and he is making progress. He is showing a lot of commitment and has been doing a lot of work after training."

Mbesuma bubbles: “I must thank Irvin Khoza for giving me a chance to play for Pirates when most of the experts were doubting my ability.

“I feel I have regained my old confidence and I am playing alongside players who can make my job easier, it makes me proud to play for Pirates.”

Question is: with Mbesuma scoring four goals in two games – and another in a friendly during the international break – will there be room anybody else against AmaZulu on Sunday?

A shortened version of this story appeared as my Neal & Pray column in The New Age newspaper today. See www.thenewage.co.za every Tuesday...