MASHABA'S FUTURE AS BAFANA BAFANA COACH HANGING IN THE LINE



Bafana Bafana coach Shakes Mashaba (Gerhard Duraan/BackpagePix)

 

Bafana Bafana coach, Shakes Mashaba look to be edging ever so close to the exit door at SAFA house after a string of unimpressive results during the 2017 AFCON qualifying games.

Apart from Hlompho Kekana’s wonder goal against Cameroon, Mashaba’s team has been poor throughout the qualifying campaign having managed to collect three points out of a possible 12.The team currently sit at the third spot in group M and is left with two games to play.

In the first game of the qualifiers Bafana Bafana played a goal-less draw to Gambia, a country which had been banned for a year by FIFA.  This was followed by a shocking 3-1 away defeat to ‘minnows’, Mauritania, a country which many of us first heard about few days prior to the Bafana Bafana game.

From those two games it was clear that the team was heading in the wrong direction. This was recently followed by poor squad selection for the two games against Cameroon.

The inclusion of skipper Itumeleng Khune came as a shock, even though we know that he is an experienced campaigner but justice need to be done at times. He had not been playing for over a month and he came in straight into the first team.

Even though many South African still criticize Darren Keet mistakes against Algeria as the reason for  Bafana Bafana’s early exit at last year’s AFCON, but Khune himself deserves criticism. It was his goalkeeping fault that led to the ‘flood’ of goals we conceded against Mauritania.

Maybe time has arrived where players are selected according to their performances. Will we ever see Kamohelo Mokotjo playing a full 90 minutes for Bafana Bafana? Will we ever see Kermit Erasmus given a chance to play for Bafana Bafana? , What about CBD’s inform Keegan Dolly?

Really!! Shakes, Ndumiso Mabena over Keegan Dolly?

We also need to admit that this is the man that led us to the AFCON 2015 in Equatorial Guinea after years of failing to secure qualification.

When Mashaba took over from Gordon Igusend we all saw positivity in nurturing talent. In his Bafana Bafana second spell squad selection he included players like Ayabulela Maqwaga, Dumisani Msibi, Fegrie Lakay, Keegan Dolly.

From there we all thought that Mashaba meant business in achieving the goals of vision 2018 and 2022. What happened to calling all these “youngsters”?

Clearly, it now looks almost impossible to qualify for the for 2017 AFCON. I wouldn’t expect the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon to tumble against Gambia and Mauritania in their remaining two games in the group.

 

FOURIE DU PREEZ CALLS IT A DAY

 Springboks veteran scrum-half, Fourie du Preez has announced his retirement from the sport, bringing an end to a steller 15-year career.

The 34-year old captained the Springboks to a third place finish at last year’s world cup in England, after an injury forced Jean de Villiers out of the tournament.

Du Preez, played 76 test matches for the Springboks between 2004 and 2015. His last game for the Springboks was a semi-final defeat to world champions, New Zealand at last year’s world cup.

He spent most of his club career playing for the Vodacom Blue Bulls from 2001 to 2011. He featured 164 times in a blue jersey of the Pretoria based outfits. His next club was a Japanese club, Suntory Sundoliath where he played 55 times for the club.

South African Rugby Union (SARU) president, Oregan Hoskins paid tribute to Du Preez describing him as one of the most decorated South African players to ever play the sport.

He said he hopes Du Preez will continue contributing to the rugby fraternity.

“His contribution to the game in South Africa, at all levels, will be remembered for many years with a host of young scrumhalves having had the opportunity to play with and learn from him. Hopefully he will return to the local game and contribute in other capacities in the future,” Hoskins said in a statement.

Du Preez said there were lots of thought made before coming to this decision.

“Rugby has been such an intergral part of my life in the last two decades, so a lot of deliberation and thought have gone into my decision to retire,” Du Preez said in a statement.

During his playing career, Du Preez received numerous accolades. He was a member of the Springbok team that won a rugby world cup in 2007 at France. He has been named SARU player of the year twice in 2006 and in 2009.

ICC WORLD T20 OFF TO A FLYER

New Zealander bowler Mitchell Santner celebrates victory over India in Nagpur at Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium. 

Arguably the second biggest International Cricket Council (ICC) tournament after the 50-over cricket world cup, the waiting was finally over today as the ICC World T20 kicked off with a bang as hosts India were outplayed by New Zealand in their backyard in the first official encounter of the tournament played at Nagpur.

India were left stunned as they went down to a crushing 47-run defeat to New Zealand. With finishers like MS  Dhoni and Virat Kohli at their disposal the hosts were expected to cruise in chasing the 126 target set by New Zealand.

Despite playing in conditions that favours them, the host struggled to find consistence with the ball and bat. New Zealand's decision of leaving front line bowlers Trent Boult and Tim Southee proved to paid dividents in triggering the hosts.

With most people convinced that the 126-runs target set by New Zealand was little, especially playing against title favourites.

Leading New Zealand for the first time in a major ICC tournament after the retirement of former skipper Brendon McCullum, Kane Williamson's decision of batting first looked like it would backfire.

New Zealand openers were both dismissed on single figures with Martin Guptil scoring six runs. Guptil smashed a six in Ravichandran Ashwin's first delivery of the first over, on the next ball he was dismissed by Ashwin with an LBW, while captain Kane Williamson made eight runs before he was stumped by MS Dhoni off the bowling of Suresh Raina.

Corey Anderson was the highest run scorer for New Zealand with 34 runs of 42 balls.

The host didn't either have the best of starts in their run-chase as openers Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan were dismissed five and one respectively.

The wickets continued to tumble as the host were dismissed for 79 all out, their second lowest total in Twenty20 international. The lose also stretched their record of failing to beat New Zealand in a 20-over format international match.

New Zealand spin trio of Mitchell Santner, Nathan McCullum and Ish Sodhi claimed nine wickets, with Santner being named man of the match after claiming four wicket. The 23 year-old finished with match figures of 4-11.

New Zealand skipper  Kane Williamson praised the team for their fight back after posting a low total in what he called a "tough surface".

"Whatever score we got I knew it would be difficult to chase on this surface. That was a good hit out first up by the boys and we knew if we bowled well we would do well," Williamson said.

While India Skipper MS Dhoni highlighted the bowling as the aspect that dragged them down.

"We had a few soft dismissal with poor shots.There were no partnerships in the middle and then we were down in the run rate. They bowled well, but we lacked adaptability. 126 was a decent score to chase but our batters let us down," Dhoni said.

PRESSURE MOUNTS ON KHOMPELA AS CHIEFS SUFFER YET ANOTHER DEFEAT

PHOTO BY: BACKPAGEPIX

Kaizer Chiefs suffered their third straight defeat in all competitions after a 1-0 home defeat in the hands of Asec Mimosa in the first leg of CAF Champions League held at FNB stadium yesterday.

Khompela’s men came into the game with bruises after losing 2-0 to Platinum Stars in a midweek game played on Wednesday.

Khompela sticked with Itumeleng Khune in goals, while fit-again Lorenzo Gordinho took the starting birth from Morgan Gould.

The first half proved to be busier for Asec Mimosa goalkeeper, with Chiefs failing to capitalise on opportunities created.

Chiefs created most opportunities in the opening 45 minutes, with goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune having little work to do in the first half.

The deadlock was immediately broken short after the second half resumed with a well taken header by Baka to give the Ivorian giants a vital away goal.

A goal which extended the club’s poor form of winning matches.

Amakhosi reached the second round of the competition after being given a 3-0 second leg victory, this happened after Comoros outfit Volcom Club de Moroni failed to pitch for the second leg match in South Africa, after  a 4-0 rout at home a week earlier.

The last goal scored by the Naturena outfits was on a 1-1 draw against Polokwane City in February.

With the Absa Premiership already out of sight, coupled by losing on two cup finals, being eliminated by bitter rival in the Nedbank cup last week and the surfacing rumours of Muhshin Erturgal joining the club for a third spell at end of the season.

Clearly the pressure is mounting on Khompela at Chiefs as goal drought continues for his team infront of goals and the pressure from the fans doesn’t get any better.

Khompela left the stadium after Mimosa game accompanied by the club’s communications manager, Vina Maphosa as the fans were unable to hide their frustrations by throwing objects towards him.

LEICESTER CITY IN LINE TO MAKE HISTORY

Action Images via Reuters/Paul Childs

Leicester City has emerged as favourite to win the Barclays Premier League title this season and with 9 games left to be played in the league, surely it is in their hands to lose the title.

Former Tottenham Hotspur Manager, Harry Redknapp speaking to The Telegraph said Claudio Ranieri has surpassed everyone’s expectations by transforming the side into one of the most feared oppositions in the league.  

“He has written one of the stories of the decade and whatever happens over the final nine games of the season he has been the manager of the year,” Redknapp said.

Redknapp said he was surprised at the beginning of the season by the return of the Italian, after he had a disastrous spell with Chelsea almost ten season ago.

"I was amazed when Claudio Ranieri got the job in the summer, coming so soon after a disastrous experience with the Greece national team when his reputation had taken a bit of a battering.

It was also over 10 years since he’d last managed in England with Chelsea and like everyone else I was surprised when his appointment at Leicester came totally out of the blue,” Redknapp said.

At the end of last season’s campaign everyone was shocked with the sacking of Nigel Pearson after saving the club from the relegation, after (29 games) last season the club was occupying the last spot in the Premier League standings.

Clearly the club owner, King Power made a good decision. Under Ranieri players like Riyad Mahrez and Jamie Vardy have been able to shine beyond everyone’s expectations.

Many doubted the club’s decision of releasing former Internazionale midfielder, Esteban Cambiasso to join Greece Champions Olympiacos.

But, Ranieri had someone in mind to replace the Argentine bald. French midfielder N’golo Kante was signed shortly after Cambiasso departed and he has been described by many people as the heart beat of Leicester's campaign. 

Leicester City is the highest scoring team in the league with 52 goals, and they are currently 5points clear in the Premier League standings.

With the Champions league spot almost certain for the Foxes, it looks like the appointment of the Italian was the best decision the club has ever made.