Whisper it: Bafana Bafana are on the up.
It’s nothing to write home about yet. But guess what? South Africa are unbeaten in five games since Hugo Broos was named new head coach.
Sure, the Belgian hasn’t taken charge of a single game yet. However, his influence is already having a huge impact on the team.
Back at home to get vaccinated against the coronavirus, it seems the national football team has also gotten a shot in the arm.
Bafana’s first match of the new regime saw them beat Uganda in a 3-2 thriller last month.
While former Bafana winger Helman Mkhalele – an assistant coach alongside Macedonian-Belgian Cedomir Janevski – led the team, the match saw Broos’ promise of a new dawn shed its first light, like the red shift in the morning sky.
Even as Bafana fell behind, the light was breaking through as they fought back with nine debutants, with one of them – the PSL’s Young Player of the Year Evidence Makgopa –scoring a brace.
It was a truly inspiring turnaround and it has set the tone for the current Bafana crop and the U23 side which will represent Team SA at the Olympics.
So let’s talk about the Cosafa Cup for a minute.
It’s not a tournament which we talk about seriously. Well, not by us South Africans anyway.
But the regional Southern African tournament packs a punch for our neighbours.
Many Namibians, Zambians, Batswana, Basotho, Swati, Mozambicans and Zimbabweans plying their trade in our football leagues.
In fact, since the start of the PSL era, seven players from our Cosafa neighbours have been named Player of the Season – with Namibia’s Peter Shalulile being the reigning POTS holder.
In the goalscoring stakes, Zambia’s Collins Mbesuma still holds the record for most goals in a PSL season, with 25.
And of the last four seasons, three “uitlanders” have been top scorer – Chipolopolo ace Mwape Musonda, Malawi’s Gabadinho Mhango and Shalulile have all received the Lesley Manyathela Golden Boot, with Bradley Grolber pipping Shalulile to end that run.
Without a Cosafa Cup title since 2016 and just eight top-four finishes in the tournament’s 19 editions, it’s high time we take this seriously.
And with a place in Sunday’s final up for grabs in today’s semifinal against Mozambique, Bafana have shown some serious mettle.
Despite Covid-19 and withdrawals wreaking their preparations for the tournament in Gqeberha, they won three of their Group A games and drew the final one after just a 24-hour gap from their previous game.
I reckon that’s some good going, even with Mkhalele also absent with coronavirus.
I’ve been most impressed by midfielders Ethan Brooks and Yusuf Maart, who have bossed Bafana’s games so far, as Victor Letsoalo showed he can score on the international stage.
How stand-in coach Morena Ramoreboli’s manne do in the knockouts remains to be seen.
Next week this time, coach David Notoane’s Olympic squad will compete on the other side of the world.
To be honest, not much is expected from them, with SA taking on hosts Japan in Thursday morning’s opener, then France and Mexico.
Japan will be led by former Premier League defender Maya Yoshida and the team stars winger Takefusa Kubo.
The 20-year-old Kubo has has been in Spain since 2011, joining Barcelona as at just 10, graduated from the famed La Masia academy and is now on the books of Real Madrid.
France’s top young talents won’t be at the Games because their top European clubs refuse to release them, which could play into Bafana’s hands.
But 2012 gold medalists Mexico will be a massive test, with big things expected from Betis striker Diego Lainez, attacking midfielder Uriel Antuna and fullback Jorge Sanchez.
The likes of Makgopa, Lyle Foster and Luther Singh will have to step up big time to get Team SA out of their group and into the knockout stages, with the top two sides qualifying for the quarterfinals.
And finally, I can’t end this column without talking about tomorrow night’s Caf Champions League final.
Two-time winning coach Pitso Mosimane leads holders Al-Ahly into battle against Kaizer Chiefs in Casablanca.
After the Amakhosi’s nightmare season, they have the chance to not only redeem themselves, but SA football on the continent too.
From being banned by Caf, the Sowetans somehow stumbled their way to the biggest game between the Cape and Cairo.
Good luck to Arthur Zwane’s Chiefs, but whoever wins, it’s another victory for SA football.
matthew.marcus@inl.co.za