Unbeaten coach of the year Shakes Mashaba continues to confound with Bafana Bafana Mark II

Unbeaten: Bafana boss Shakes Mashaba

ON the face of it, a man who took over in late July has to be pretty fortunate to win South Africa’s coach of the year award. But not this time.

Ephraim Shakes Mashaba is that man. On Sunday night in Sandton, he was rightly awarded the ultimate coaching accolade ahead of the minority sports and, with our Proteas and Springboks currently on the beaten track, the predictable bleating from those “jobs for life” journalists echoed across the social networks.

Danny Jordaan, the SAFA president who has ushered in an era where, for once, diski/soccer/football is emerging as the pride of the nation, rightly sums up: “This has been an incredible year, we hope awards for Shakes and Portia Modise will encourage the entire football family to do even better going forward.”

Sadly, the promised arrival of a Bafana technical director and the new Nike kit has not materialised. Match-fixing, shrouded attendance figures and Senzo Meyiwa’s unsolved killing still weight heavily on our game. And as David Isaacson points out, Mashaba won coach of the year for our AmaJita Under 20s qualifying success, his Bafana Bafana revival wasn't taken in to account.

But forget all that. On the field, Mashaba continues to confound.

Fielding an entirely new team for the Nelson Mandela Challenge at Mbombela on Sunday, his Bafana Bafana Mark II simply went out and played just like the first choice outfit did in AFCON qualifying.

That’s no small feat. South Africa saw off mighty Nigeria to win Group A during a turbulent six-match saga which saw Senzo Meyiwa murdered, an Ebola outbreak, May Mahlangu banned, suspended Equatorial Guinea handed the hosting rights and key players ruled out.

Qualification ahead of the African champion Super Eagles was a considerable upset. But what Shakes came up with on Sunday takes us one step further. The arch-motivator took a whole new squad and despite cancelled training sessions and late withdrawals, created a new “bunch of winners”, to paraphrase Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula.

Chippa United’s Thami Sangweni, brother of Orlando Pirates towering defender Siya, took the captain’s armband. Chippa United’s five-goal David Zulu, much talked about as a future Kaizer Chiefs striker, took his place up front next to Polokwane City’s Puleng Tlolane, the PSL’s top scorer with seven goals.

Between them, those twelve goals dwarf the tally of Mzanzi’s big guns. Kermit Erasmus and Lehlohonolo Majoro have six between them. Bernard Parker and Kingston Nkhatha at unbeaten league leaders Kaizer Chiefs have erm... even less.

But it was the much-talked-about  Bongani Zungu from Mamelodi Sundowns who really impressed, scoring the first goal after Vuyisile Wana’s first-minute effort had been ruled out for off-side and generally getting ball to the right areas. Zulu added the richly-deserved second after half-time and it was job done for Shakes, who has now played seven, won four and drawn three.

With Mashaba in charge, the selection process appears to be secondary. The man himself confesses he is no tactical genius, “I put out 11 players and tell them to play for the nation” and boy, do they play.

This friendly, against an admittedly under-strength Ivory Coast (the Toure brothers and their big European stars had other things on their mind over the weekend), proves the point with some gusto.

Pitso Mosimane and Gordon Igesund are top South African coaches with five PSL titles between them. Last season Mosimane took Sundowns to the championship and this season Igesund has revived SuperSport United and on Saturday, he led them to that Telkom KO triumph.

But in truth, they failed to motivate the disparate band of men chosen to represent their nation. Never really got them to play for the shirt, much like the foreign millionaires before them.

I’m not sure how Shakes does it. I’m told his team-talks are the stuff of legend, invoking all kinds of semi-mythical imagery to fire up his charges.

After his seventh game without defeat, Mashaba glowed: "We needed this win to keep up the winning momentum for the nation.

"This was almost a new team, a good chance to give our fringe players an opportunity to prove themselves. We will try to get some friendlies. Really, some of these boys deserve to get a chance in Equatorial Guinea."

I have no idea how Mashaba achieves these things. But with the cricketing Proteas and rugby Springboks both failing of late, suddenly Bafana Bafana have become the reliable source of national pride in Mzanzi.

Herve Renard, the Ivory Coast coach who conquered Africa with Zambia, sums it up best: “I think 0-2 was a very good for us, the South African team was everywhere.

"I think we had two chances and it's not enough to expect something in football. It's a good lesson for our young players, who know they have a big job to do.

“Congratulations South Africa. It was too fast for us today.”

21 today! My effort at Soccer Laduma's "7 Taps for 7 Lives" challenge

Here it is, my entry for Soccer Laduma's "7 Taps for 7 Lives" challenge. All you have to do is register at www.odf.org.za and then video YOUR best effort at football juggling.




Inspired by www.soccerladuma.co.za's Clint Roper, the challenge has gone out to celebrities Robert Marawa, DJ Fresh, Bob Skinstad, Benni McCarthy, Steven Pienaar, Itumeleng Khune and Kermit Erasmus.

Get ot there and do YOUR taps after you've read THIS: http://www.soccerladuma.co.za/news/articles/categories/multimedia-laduma-tv/7tapsfor7lives-1/193723.

THE MYTHICAL BEAST AB DE VILLIERS: is there anything the Proteas captain isn't good at?

I don’t  often stray from the football field these days. In the past, I’ve written rugby World Cups; reported on England cricket tours, covered Olympics… but this twittered image outlining the achievements of South Africa’s cricket captain AB De Villiers has got me straying away from soccer.

Can one man REALLY achieve all that? Is this a massive wind-up?

His cricket credentials are NOT IN QUESTION. Abraham Benjamin De Villiers is 30 and is currently averaging 90 with the bat in Australia. Voted the world’s best One Day batsman by the ICC earlier this month, he tops the ODI rankings, is 2^nd in Tests and just this morning he weighed in with another match winning knock at the fabulous Melbourne Cricket Ground.

The records are endless in all formats. Even South Africa’s president Jacob Zuma, absent from parliament  for months, had time for this quote while at the G20 conference in Australia: “Mr de Villiers has done the country immensely proud with his sterling achievements and we wish him all the best going forward.”

He doesn’t just bat like a whirlwind. A couple of summers ago, AB took the gloves when Mark Boucher’s career was sadly curtailed; he’s a top class wicket keeper and averaged 56 while he was behind the stumps.

He also fields like Jonty Rhodes with a superb eye for a catch and a rocket-like throw … oh, and lately he’s been getting a couple of wickets with his dibbly-dobbler bowling.  Yes, Jacques Kallis was a great all-rounder… but how many can bat, bowl, field and keep wicket?

But let’s move away from cricket. As a youngster, De Villiers showed prodigious talents in all fields. He recalls: "When I was 10 I decided I was going to do something in sport one day." Full details are hard to track down but it appears he is a phenomenon when it comes to tennis, badminton, swimming, golf, sprinting and, predictably, rugby.

Just for kicks: AB takes on Dale Steyn

A Manchester United fan – he still lists Cristiano Ronaldo as his favourite player – De Villiers was a useful football at primary school in Bela Bela (Warmbaths) and played at provincial (state or county) level as an Under 12. Some even suggest he was picked for a national junior squad.

Once a scratch golfer (which means he generally goes around the course in par) now playing off nine; AB was the ultimate sporting all-rounder at Pretoria’s sports factory, otherwise known as Affies.

When he wasn’t playing cricket with brothers far older than him, AB was on a tennis court. In his first competitive match, he beat future Davis Cup star Izak van der Merwe, and he was considered a real prospect until he gave up the racket for the bat aged 13.

As a pre-teen in Warmbaths he was offered a place at Nick Bollettieri’s Tennis Academy in Florida, but turned down the chance to join the likes of Andre Agassi and Maria Sharapova. Again, there are claims he was picked for South Africa’s “junior Davis Cup” squad. Incredible.

Hockey and rugby occupied his winters at Pretoria’s Afrikaans Skool for Boys. AB played provincial hockey before the rugby-mad staff persuaded him to join the odd-shaped ball religion and he was soon playing in the first XV at one of the top rugby schools in a nation known for the 15-man game. Again, he was offered a place at the Blue Bulls academy over the road. Again, he declined. But then wouldn't you?

Athletics wise, AB broke the local 100m record at junior level (Usain Bolt admitted the other day "AB is seriously fast across the ground") and, though I can find no independent verification, they say he STILL holds six national swimming records in a nation which has produced golden swimmers like Chad Le Clos and Cameron van der Burgh.

There’s more. Lots more. The story about receiving an award from the late great Nelson Mandela for a science project. And making a music album called Maak Jou Drome Waar (Make Your Dreams Come True) with singer-songwriter Ampie du Preez.

But that’s probably enough. The bloke excels on all fronts. Abraham Benjamin de Villiers: You are a legend.

BAFANA SEND CHAMPIONS NIGERIA CRASHING OUT: Tokelo Rantie double leaves Super Eagles grounded. Now for Equatorial Guinea

TAKE THAT: Dean Furman joins Tokelo Rantie's celebration

CHAPTER ONE of the Shakes Mashaba miracle is complete. In six remarkable games across four short months, the “cheap but sensible” option has led South Africa to AFCON 2015 qualification amid a whirlwind of renewed optimism. Carlos Queiroz, we never needed your R22m-a-year assistance.

Last night in Uyo, Bafana Bafana were two injury-time minutes from their first ever competitive win over Nigeria, their first triumph over the so-called Super Eagles since 2004 in 11 attempts. But that serves only to mask the fact that, beyond all expectation, they’d gone to the brand new Akwa Ibom stadium knowing  they would finish as Group A winners NO MATTER WHAT.

Tokelo Rantie, my Man of the Match against Sudan on Saturday and again last night, had a chance to make it 3-2 and complete his hat-trick in the dying moments, with Vincent Enyeama’s save reducing Mashaba to head-stroking frustration (videos of both Rantie goals, from Soccer Laduma's Joe Crann, feature BELOW).

Though Mzanzi will emerge this morning knowing victory was torn from our grasp, we should also wake up to the fact that Steve Keshi’s African champions are OUT, given the final shove by Bafana as Congo picked up the 1-0 victory they needed in Sudan.

For much of the first half, Nigeria ran rampant, capitalising on Mashaba’s decision to give Reneilwe Letsholonwane a run in midfield ahead of the ever-improving Andile Jali. Yeye left captain Dean Furman over-run in midfield as Doncaster Rovers’ finest struggled to contain Chelsea’s John Obi Mikel.

38 minutes: Tokelo Rantie's superb opening goal from @yeswecrann

That turbulent period saw Tefu Mashamaite, standing in for young Rivaldo Coetzee at centre-back, struggle next to his table-topping Kaizer Chiefs centre-back partner Tower Mathoho. Only a series of superb saves from Darren Keet denied the lethal Ahmed Musa as Bafana struggled to stay afloat.

Up front, Kermit Erasmus – a late replacement for flu stricken Bongani Ndulula – was substituted before half-time and his replacement Moeketsi Sekola simply disappeared along with midfielders Mandla Masango and Oupa Manyisa. Things didn’t look good. The social networks were creaking with cruel critique.

But then, either side of half-time, Bournemouth’s substitute striker Rantie did his stuff. Twice he blasted a huge hole in the Nigerian defence. Twice he beat the great Enyeama. Twice he silenced the home support.

But once Yeye had been red carded by Mauritian referee Rajindraparsad Seechurn, Nigeria were always going to come back. Seconds after I tweeted about the dangers of a home goal, the Super Eagles had equalised and, in the desperate five minutes of “Fergie time”, along came the equaliser – both scored by supersub Sone Aluko.

I predicted a draw when I previewed the game on ANN7 yesterday (see previous entry) and a draw it was. By a whisker.

Afterwards Mashaba, in a splendid striped shirt, was magnanimous: “We soaked up the pressure in the first twenty minutes, that was the plan. Then we got the two goals. But we lost our shape at the end, we stopped man-marking.

“But football is a matter of luck. We should have beaten Nigeria in Cape Town too. Now I have to organise three or four friendlies before the tournament in January.

53 minutes: Rantie's second goal and it could have been 3

“We are not going to Equatorial Guinea to make up the numbers. We are going to compete. If anybody takes BafanaBafana for granted, they will do so at their peril.”

He’s right of course. After all, Shakes knows best. A quick look at the seven qualifying groups shows only South Africa, Tunisia, Senegal and Gabon finished unbeaten. Even mighty Algeria, currently Africa’s top side, slipped at the final hurdle.

The qualifiers with unsuspended hosts Equatorial Guinea in January? South Africa, Congo, Algeria, Mali, Gabon, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Guinea, Cape Verde, Zambia, Senegal and Tunisia finshed in the top two. DR Congo qualify as best third-place finishers after once-mighty Egypt stumbled in Tunisia.

Captain Furmidable, whose dentist dad Ronnie from north London has promised to travel to Equatorial Guinea with me in January,  said: “It shows how far we’ve come when we’re disappointed with a draw against Nigeria away. We’ve got a good group, we play as a team. There are things we have to work on, but everybody is looking forward to January. We are looking good.

“Shakes Mashaba has installed a pride in the team and you saw that on the pitch today, we fight for the shirt, we want to win every ball, score every goal. We have a very focused group and that’s down to the coach.”

Fine uplifting words in a nation where even the pale people are starting to sit up and take notice, as they did in the 1990s when Clive Barker – like Mashaba, a motivator rather than a master tactician – had Bafana playing a key role in Nelson Mandela’s Rainbow Nation.

The draw for AFCON 2015 takes place on December 3. Then friendlies. January looms. Optimism grows. But for now, after a qualifying campaign beset by Ebola, bans and murder, a final thought: Thanks Senzo Meyiwa. You were the foundation. You were never beaten.

The final word on Nigeria v South Africa: We've qualified. The Super Eagles haven't. A draw would be a great result

PETE'S SAKE: With Peter van Onselen on ANN7 today

TONIGHT will not be for the faint-hearted, When South Africa kick-off against Nigeria at the Akwa Ibom "Nest of Champions" stadium in Uyo, Nigeria, there is history. And two possible futures.

If Shakes Mashaba's unbeaten Bafana Bafana can produce a result - either a draw or a win - the Super Eagles are in serious trouble. They go in to the game knowing they have to better Congo's result against Sudan or they run the risk of failing to qualify for AFCON 2015.

This morning on ANN7, the South African 24-hour news channel on DSTV 405, I pointed out how pleased we would have been, barely four months ago, to reach this final showdown with South Africa already secure at the top of Group A. It's not just a marvel, it's a near-miracle.

Mashaba, as I have said before, has had to withstand injury to his captain Itumeleng Khune before he even got started, the Ebola outbreak, troubled times with overseas-based stars Kamahelo Mokotjo and May Mahlangu AND THE MURDER OF HIS UNBEATEN CAPTAIN SENZO MEYIWA have all struck since.

No coach should have to face such things. But Shakes has. And he goes in to tonight's showdown with a record of FIVE games, THREE wins and TWO draws. But still the blows keep coming. This afternoon we were told big AmaZulu striker Bongani Ndulula is OUT with flu and that Orlando Pirates front-runner Kermit Erasmus will replace him in the starting line-up.

I told Peter van Onselen this morning on ANN7's Vuka: "Mashaba is tactically good, his selections are often controversial, but his major strength is motivation, he's like Sir Alex Ferguson" and I cited as evidence the way Shakes unleashed a verbal outburst which got Bournemouth's Tokelo Rantie fired up to score against Sudan last Saturday.

Shakes, seven years younger than the now-retired Scotsman, will need all his fiery team-talks and cuss-packed pitch-side rants to get Bafana going tonight. Nigeria HAVE TO WIN. They have over 200 players in Europe, we have barely 20. The Super Eagles traditionally get one over on South Africa, most recently at the CHAN tournament, where a 3-1 triumph left Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula frothing at the mouth.


In ten attempts, South Africa have beaten Nigeria just once - in 2004 - losing SEVEN TIMES.

There has never been a better time to overcome that hoodoo. The home leg of this qualifying tournament saw a 0-0 draw in Cape Town. Then, coach Steve Keshi was on the way out, Africa's top goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama was mysteriously unavailable and FIFA were threatening to ban the Nigerian Football Federation for governmental interference.

Tonight Enyeama plays, the NFF are back on track, and the new stadium will be humming with the anti-South African feeling Mashaba has talked about in the past. EVERYONE wants to beat us, the length of Africa.

But captain Dean "Furmidable" Furman knows all that. He says:"We are out to remain unbeaten. We know Nigeria will be tough, but this is not just about football, it's about the fans, the nation."

A win tonight would be a dream. A draw is the most optimistic prediction I'm prepared to offer. A defeat is likely when one side is desperate to qualify, the other is already through. Of course, Nigeria could yet qualify as the best third-placed finisher for Equatorial Guinea in January.

The bottom line is, South Africa would do well to stop Nigeria qualifying. Then Algeria would be the main threat. Their French-based revival will be hard to stop. But with Africa's big guns all on the brink tonight, South Africa could be ready to assume their rightful position near the pinnacle of the continent's footballing ranking.

And a point tonight will be just the first step on the way. What ever happens, Shakes Mashaba, the cheap but sensible option after Gordon Igesund, YOU KNOW BEST.


My ANN7 interview is HERE;




For better quality, try THIS:

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.”

MARK FISH: I stopped breathing. My daughter saw angels around me. But I'm fine now. And I'll be at Manchester United legends game

On the road to recovery: Fish and me

South African football legend Mark Fish is “doing great” in hospital in Vereeniging, South Africa today after suffering from chest pains on Saturday evening.

Fish had difficulty breathing at his home on the banks of the Vaal River, complaining of chronic back pains. He was rushed to hospital by his partner Salome van Rensburg and a friend.

This morning  the father of four underwent tests and emerged “feeling fine” with Salome saying: “He’s so chilled it’s shocking!”

Speaking after his procedure this morning Fish told me: “I’ve been having problems with my back for some time. On Saturday, my lips went blue, my body went white. I was struggling to breathe. Salome and her friend Nadia, 10kg lighter than me, had to take me to the hospital. You can imagine!

“On the way I stopped breathing. I don’t remember any of that. My daughter said there were angels around me, then she said: "You'll be fine daddy".

“I’ve had an angiogram and some other tests, tubes and dye and things like that. The doctors are saying my heart’s fine. They said I've got fantastic lungs, but told me to stop smoking. I bet they’ll say the same to you! They can’t find anything wrong, nothing.

“But look, this was a warning. I haven’t been doing the right things. I have to change my life-style. I started swimming but nothing hectic. Used to gym three times a week, been doing none of that. You know what’s it been like, I’ve been fixated on business… and stress. That isn’t good for any of us.

Happier times: on air with Mark Fish, left

“But I’m feeling great now. I’ll show my face at the Orlando Pirates versus Manchester United legends game on Saturday out of respect to Senzo Meyiwa but I won’t be playing.

“Don’t worry about me, I’ll be back on my feet in no time.”

Fish, 40, starred in both Bafana Bafana’s only AFCON triumph and Orlando Pirates’ only African Champions League victory in the 1990s before taking his skills as a towering central defender to Europe.

Most recently the former Lazio, Bolton Wanderers and Charlton Athletic star became a household name for his role as a captain opposite Springbok rugby skipper Corne Krige in the South African reality show “Survivor”.

Though listed on the official facebook page as one of the players, he will not be able to play for the Pirates Legends on Saturday against Paul Scholes and company but is eager to "show my face" if he gets the all-clear from medical experts.