Hugo Broos’ Bafana have nation smiling again, but familiar incompetence continues to linger

Sharp Turn Column

I was sick to my stomach this week, almost to the point of gagging.

And that’s not because I am currently observing the Muslim holy month of Ramadaan, where I’m required to stay without food and drink from sunrise to sunset. 

No, it was instead due to the embarrassing situation related to Bafana Bafana midfielder Teboho Mokoena’s yellow-card controversy that could see the national football team be docked three valuable Fifa World Cup qualifying points. 

For the uninformed, Bafana fielded Mokoena in last Friday evening’s 2-0 victory over Lesotho at the Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane, despite the Mamelodi Sundowns star having picked up a yellow card in the previous World Cup qualifiers against Benin (MD1) and a second in the following match against Zimbabwe (MD4). 

Fifa’s regulations clearly indicate that a player who accumulates two yellow cards in separate matches must automatically serve a one-match suspension.

Why was Mokoena then played against Lesotho? Was it an oversight? Was it deliberate? 

And more importantly, where does the blame lie for this incompetence? 

The situation hasn’t been helped by the fact that Bafana Bafana’s head coach Hugo Broos was tight-lipped and refused to answer any questions related to the Mokoena situation after the 2-0 victory over Benin in Ivory Coast on Tuesday night.

Personally, I feel the entire Bafana Bafana management team should be held accountable. From Broos down to the kit-man, but most importantly, team manager Vincent Tseka has plenty of explaining to do for it is his job to inform Broos of player availability. 

It simply smells of a lack of professionalism that cannot be tolerated at international level. 

It takes one back to the dark days when Bafana Bafana players mistakenly celebrated qualification for the African Cup of Nations in 2011 – only to realise later they had incorrectly reviewed the regulations. 

To compound matters for me is the fact that the nation is currently bubbling over with Bafana fever. 

Not since 2010 – when the Fifa World Cup was staged on home soil – has there been such excitement and passion shown towards the national football team. 

Broos, along with his assistant, former Bafana winger Helman Mkhalele, have overseen a phenomenal change of fortunes during the past three years.

The no-nonsense Belgian tactician has crucially stood up to self-serving football agents that have pressurised previous coaches in selecting their inferior players, while he’s been equally robust in discussion with the PSL surrounding player availability for the benefit of Bafana. 

He has also been able to formulate a competent squad that now boasts significant depth, despite not having the luxury of an abundance of players starting in the major leagues around the world. 

The third-place finish at last year’s Afcon was a significant step in winning over the sceptical fan-base that had become disillusioned after years of Bafana disappointment.

Now, the South Africans are on the verge of qualifying for next year’s Fifa World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico for the first time since 2002 as they currently top Group C with 13 points after six matches – five ahead of Rwanda and Benin – with African giants Nigeria further back in third place on seven points. 

The Mokoena debacle could, though, see Bafana potentially be docked three points after Lesotho lodged a formal inquiry to CAF and Fifa, which fortunately would still leave Broos’ team on top of the group by two points and a positive goal differential of two.

It would, however, place the team under immense pressure, with little breathing room heading into the final four matches – all of which will be played on South African soil.

Broos’ Bafana has brought smiles to the masses in Mzansi again, and it really would be a travesty if incompetence is the reason they are not on a plane to the US next year.