MagRush writer | September 6, 2019
On “Gone In 60 Seconds” movie, Nicolas Cage, the main character, swiftly crafts a masterplan to accomplish an impossible task of stealing 50 sports cars within a short space of time to save his brother’s skin. It was a race against the clock as he multi-tasked with sheer dexterity having to contend with a rival gang and ward off the police. Well, a script always plays out the way of the blueprint. Cage pulled it off.
Watching the South African Football Association (SAFA) President Danny Jordaan running frantically trying in the past 72 hours – Tuesday to Thursday – to save a lost (Zambia) fixture first, and second, to secure a (Madagascar) replacement fits the Hollywood blockbuster script. Jordaan did not pull it off. Quite the contrary in real life.
Zambia suddenly dumped South Africa on Tuesday for a friendly international scheduled for Saturday, September 7, 2019 in Lusaka [Zambia].
Nevertheless, SAFA managed to twist Madagascar’s arm in the eleventh hour to replace Zambia only to succeed for 24 hours. Then the penny dropped! Madagascar withdrew after promising to save the day at Orlando stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Then there was none left; SAFA exhausted all its misfiring aces up its sleeves.
The dreaded last gong sounded: All the 23 Bafana Bafana men were let go, freed to rejoin their respective clubs prematurely.
Both the (Zambia and Madagascar) friendly international matches were called off as a direct consequence of violent [xenophobic] attacks on foreign nationals and businesses in SA. SAFA condemned these barbaric acts, so did the new SA coach, Molefi Ntseki.
Again, Ntseki’s official game as the new head coach of Bafana Bafana will not come this Saturday. South Africans will have to wait for a while to witness his tactics in a match at a senior level.
In November, South Africa will face Ghana and Sudan in the 2021 African Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualifiers.
One thing that SAFA has achieved distinctively is to grant Orlando Pirates interim coach Rhulani Mokwena his profound wish; i.e. After the (0-0) draw at Orlando stadium against Golden Arrows in Absa Premiership, he “wished” Pirates players could forgo the FIFA week and remain at the club for more training and drilling sessions.
Ladyluck delivered it on his Pirates platter. The ball is in Mokwena’s court. The players are returning to their club/s. How wishes come true in a funny way!