In a week when all and sundry have harped on about that ill-fated trip to Pointe Noire back in 1997, the irony would not have been lost on the discerning soccer fan that that was the only time Bafana Bafana have lost to Congo-Brazzaville.
And Shakes Mashaba, being the wily old coach he is, would no doubt have impressed upon his team to ignore that ‘painful’ history and focus on the here and now.
After all, while there is likely to be some intimidation from their hosts ahead of and during tomorrow’s Africa Cup of Nations Group A qualifier, it is definitely not going to be as harsh as the one that left Mark Fish bloodied and Danny Jordaan staring down the barrel of a machine gun.
Jordaan himself said so as he bid the squad farewell at the airport yesterday: “I was there in 1997 and those conditions do not exist anymore. At that time there was a military presence and circumstances were different. I don’t think you must have anything else in your head. It’s a team we can play well against and we can beat. And don’t think about anything else. Don’t play with images that do not exist anymore.”
And he is right. For one, the cabbage patch on which the likes of Doctor Khumalo and John ‘Shoes’ Moshoeu could hardly execute their trademark passes on has now been turned into a sleek artificial one.
And while the Confederation of African Football (CAF) seemingly continue to turn a blind eye on the ill-treatment of visiting teams, the Congolese will know that they cannot brandish rifles wily-nilly like they did back then.
Even the referees, who often appear to be card-carrying members of the home teams, are unlikely to allow elbows flying into the faces of Bafana players.
Besides, such has been the Red Devils’ start to the campaign that they will fancy their chances of beating the visitors fair and square without using underhand tactics. They are top of the table with maximum points having beaten Sudan and Nigeria in their own backyard while Bafana could not beat the Super Eagles in Cape Town. Add to that the fact that they are ranked 11th on the continent, three places above Bafana, and they should take to the field full of confidence.
Mashaba’s men, on the other hand, should know only too well the importance of getting something out of this match. Their failure to beat a Nigeria side going through a difficult time in Cape Town has made their qualification mission all the more difficult.
So they will need to at least get a point tomorrow and bank on winning when they host the Congolese in Polokwane on Wednesday. They still have a trip to Nigeria to come, and if history is any indicator, they will come home empty handed from that trip. And with Stephen Keshi’s team expected to win both their clashes with Sudan, qualification for Morocco 2015 could prove hard for Bafana.
But South Africa do know how to beat the Congo, having done so under Mashaba back in 2002 and again at home on that glorious August afternoon in 1997 when Phil Masinga’s rocket-like shot booked Bafana their maiden World Cup qualification.
Said midfielder Dean Furman: “We are once again hoping to build something special with this group.” - The Star