The Game
Botswana vs South Africa
Botswana National Stadium
Saturday, 9 June

DID YOU KNOW?
The first-ever international football match between South Africa and Botswana was played on 10 January 1993, and ended in a 2-0 win for Bafana Bafana. Gardner Seale and John ‘Shoes’ Moshoeu had the rare distinction of both scoring on their national team debuts in that game.

Coach vs Coach
Pitso Mosimane is a man under pressure and he knows that any early slip-ups in the World Cup qualification campaign will likely see him replaced as coach of Bafana Bafana. And when Mosimane has his back against the wall, he gets defensive, so expect him to set out his stall for the draw in Gaborone, which will be trumpeted as a fine result against a ‘top’ team. Botswana coach Stanley Tshosane has no such worries; he is riding a wave of favour, having helped the side qualify for their first-ever Africa Cup of Nations finals in 2012. There had been some debate as to whether he would stay on after that, but it seems as though he has set himself up for the World Cup qualifiers.

Star Men
Jerome Ramatlhakwane (Unattached)
Ramatlhakwane was among the leading scorers for Botswana in the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, a remarkable feat considering he has played very little club football over the past few years. In fact, a contractual dispute at PSL side Santos has contributed to him starting just eight club matches in five seasons! But through it all he has continued to score regularly for his country and his powerful frame, pace and awareness to be in the right place at the right time make him a real dangerman for the Bafana Bafana defence. Amazingly, at the time of writing, he was still clubless.

Steven Pienaar (Tottenham Hotspur)
Pienaar rediscovered his best form while on loan at Everton in the second half of the last English Premier League season having been frozen out at Tottenham before. It was a reminder to all just what a quality performer he is when on top form, providing a creative spark in midfield and goals to boot. He is the one genuine world-class player in the South African ranks and Mosimane will be desperate for him to stay fit and lead the side through the World Cup qualification campaign.

SoccerClub Verdict
Certainly South Africa have the better side, especially now that star man Dipsy Selolwane has retired following Botswana’s exploits at the Africa Cup of Nations earlier this year. But Bafana Bafana also have an issue playing away from home and Botswana have been excellent in Gaborone in recent years. They will fight to the bitter end and for that reason we will sit on the fence and call this a draw, a result both teams will probably be happy with.
PAST FIVE MEETINGS

Kaizer Chiefs’ goalkeeper Arthur Bartman turned 40 at the end of March to join a select group of players who have played in the PSL into their fifth decade.
Bartman became the fourth player to feature in the PSL era after their 40th birthday, joining ex-Ajax Cape Town stopper Hans Vonk, former Cape Town Spurs, Santos, Mamelodi Sundowns and SuperSport United gloveman Andre Arendse, and former Kaizer Chiefs and AmaZulu midfielder John ‘Shoes’ Moshoeu in achieving this feat.

He reached the birthday milestone on 26 March, and a few days later came on for Itumeleng Khune against Lamontville Golden Arrows after the latter was involved in a sickening clash of heads that left him concussed.

Despite his age, Bartman has shown no signs of slowing down and with first-choice keeper Khune having missed a large chunk of the current campaign, has proven to be an excellent deputy. He has yet to renew his contract with the team past this season, but as long as the desire remains strong, there is no reason why Chiefs should not want to have him on board for the new season.

Indeed, his goals conceded per minute played is considerably more impressive than Khune’s, though to be fair to South Africa’s No 1, he did face stiffer opposition this season.

Not surprisingly, Bartman is the longest-serving player in the South African top flight, having made his debut in 1995 for African Wanderers.

Ex-Ajax Cape Town goalkeeper Vonk was 41 years, three months and 21 days old when he retired in bitter disappointment after the final game of the 2010-11 Premiership season as his error allowed Maritzburg United to secure a 2-2 draw, which handed the title to Orlando Pirates. Vonk never worried about his age and felt his body and reflexes would tell him when it was time to go.

‘Age is only an issue if you make it one,’ he said. ‘As long as you are playing well, it shouldn’t matter. I will know when my level is no longer what is required, or when in my mind I am ready for a new challenge. I will not let my age dictate that to me.’

SuperSport United’s Arendse was older at 41 years, 10 months and 12 days when he hung up his gloves following a 0-0 draw with Santos on the final day of the 2008-09 season. That result helped SuperSport clinch the league title.

Moshoeu was older still, a remarkable 42 years, four months and 26 days when he played his final game for AmaZulu against Moroka Swallows in May 2008. That is a great achievement for an outfield player.
He remains the oldest player to feature in the PSL, though Bartman might well put that record to the test if he carries on at Chiefs – or elsewhere – for two more seasons.

DID YOU KNOW?
The oldest outfield player in the Premier Soccer League this season was Sibusiso Zuma at SuperSport United, who will turn 37 on 23 June.

Orlando Pirates’ Ndumiso Mabena flies into a challenge against Lucky Baloyi of Kaizer Chiefs

Jurie Basie and Wayne Arendse of Santos compete in the air with Nhlanhla Vilakazi of Ajax Cape Town

James Mayinga of Moroka Swallows gets full marks for his ballet leap

Loftus Versfeld may be Mamelodi Sundowns’ home ground, but Davies Nkausu of SuperSport United should know better than to try a rugby tackle in football. Nyasha Mushekwi is the unlucky recipient

Kaizer Chiefs skipper Itumeleng Khune makes a spectacular save against Moroka Swallows

Dove Wome of Free State Stars tries a complicated hand-stand as Auguston Leonard of Bloemfontein Celtic looks on

Is Thamsanqa Teyise of AmaZulu trying to do the ‘chicken dance’ to put off Lamontville Golden Arrows’ Dillon Sheppard?

Left winger Andrew Surman has come off a fine individual season for English Premier League side Norwich City, playing a key role in helping The Canaries retain their top-flight status.
It was a personal triumph for the 25-year-old, whose last shot at Premier League football was a disaster when he spent a season at Wolverhampton Wanderers in the 2009-10 campaign, but made just seven appearances.

Many wondered then if the midfielder was cut out for the top flight, but he has proven this season that those fears were unfounded. Such has been his form that he has been linked with a move to high-flyers Newcastle United.
He says the faith shown in him by coach Paul Lambert has been a big confidence boost, as has playing alongside, and against, top players.‘When you are competing in the Premier League, against better players, you’ve got to play better and improve. And you are playing with better players too, so I think it brings out the best in me,’ he says.

‘I’m probably playing the best football of my career. The main thing is getting a run in the team and playing in a side that is full of confidence, so you can really express yourself.’How national team coach Pitso Mosimane could use his talent on the left wing to offer competition to current incumbent Siphiwe Tshabalala. The Kaizer Chiefs man knows he is guaranteed to start and so his performances can dip below standard as he sometimes goes through the motions.

But Surman’s history with the national team is complicated. He was born in Johannesburg, where his English father was working in insurance, but returned to England with his family at the age of eight.
They settled in Southampton and Surman began to show enormous promise as a footballer, becoming the youngest player to turn out for the Southampton reserves at the age of 15, until Arsenal’s Theo Walcott took the record from him in 2004.

He was selected for the England U21 side in 2007 and around that time rejected his first opportunity for a national team call-up for South Africa.However, when further honours eluded him, his representatives did approach Safa prior to the 2010 Fifa World Cup to ask whether they were still interested in him, but received no reply.

Mosimane then tried to lure Surman into the fold before the international friendly against Senegal in February this year, but this time it was the player who said ‘no’, citing the fact that he now had a young family and wanted to be close to home.It is more likely, though, that he harbours a desire to be part of the Great Britain side that will compete at the 2012 London Olympic Games, having been privately told he is in the frame for selection, and also still perhaps the full English senior side, who have never quite settled on a regular left-sided midfielder.

It is conceivable that he might yet turn out for South Africa close to the 2014 Fifa World Cup, though many fans have already been put off by the idea after his recent rejection.But beggars can’t be choosers and with South Africa having so few players in the top leagues of Europe, let alone ones that play and score regularly, Surman could be an enormous asset to the team.His best years are probably still ahead of him and he should be in his prime come the 2014 tournament in Brazil. If it is not to be England, then perhaps he will don the green and gold of Bafana Bafana, if the country manages to qualify.

Fast Facts
Date of birth: 20 August 1986
Place of birth: Johannesburg
Position: Left wing
Club: Norwich City (England)
Former clubs: Southampton, Walsall (loan), Bournemouth (loan), Wolverhampton Wanderers (all England)

Surman showed enormous promise as a footballer, becoming the youngest-ever player to turn out for the Southampton reserves

About Norwich
Norwich has a rich history in England and in the 11th century was the second largest city after London. The Industrial Revolution meant that other centres have since comfortably surpassed it, with the current population of around 375 000 considered small by English standards. It was severely bombed during World War II, oddly enough not because it had any military or manufacturing industries, but because the Germans believed it had sites of cultural and historic significance and their destruction would be a blow to the British morale.

0
The number of times South Africa have lost to their group stage opponents – Ethiopia, Botswana and Central African Republic. They have played Botswana on six occasions previously, and have never met the other two teams.

3.28
The average number of goals scored per game in the first 226 matches of qualifying.

13

The number of places handed to the European confederation, the most of any of the six.

11
The number of goals scored by the current top-scorer in qualifying – Deon McCaulay from Belize.

2
The number of times South Africa have previously completed a successful World Cup qualification campaign – for France 1998 and South Korea/Japan 2002. They also qualified for the 2010 event as hosts.

52
The number of entrants from the Confederation of African Football (Caf).

6
The number of Fifa confederations – Africa (Caf), Asia (AFC), Europe (Uefa), North, Central America and Caribbean (Concacaf), Oceania (OFC), and South America (Conmebol).

203
The number of countries from around the world that have entered the qualifiers.

6
The number of matches South Africa will play during the group stages of their qualification campaign.

31
The number of places at the 2014 Fifa World Cup that are up for grabs. Brazil have already qualified as hosts.

816
The number of matches that will be played in the qualifiers by the time they are completed.

Clifford Mulenga
Bloemfontein Celtic 3
Golden Arrows 0 (13 August)
Bloem Celtic started the 2011-
12 Premiership campaign on
a perfect note with a 3-0 away win, and the result was matched by an equally spectacular goal from midfielder Mulenga, who collected the ball on the halfway line, took a few steps and fired an unstoppable shot from 35 yards out which left Helton da Rocha with no hope.

Bernard Parker
Kaizer Chiefs 2 Orlando Pirates 1 (17 September)
It took Parker a while to score for Chiefs, but wasn’t it worth the wait? In the Soweto derby against Pirates, the Bafana striker lined up a free kick from 25 yards out and curled it over the wall into the far corner. Sadly, that was the only highlight of his season.

Benni McCarthy
Orlando Pirates 1
Maritzburg United 0
(26 February)
McCarthy arrived in the PSL amid much fanfare, and for the most part he lived up to the hype – most notably this winning goal he scored against Maritzburg United. Dikgang Mabalane swung in a free kick from the right, McCarthy dropped his defender and finished with an overhead kick which few in the PSL would have imagined, let alone pulled off.

Tokelo Rantie
Orlando Pirates 3
Free State Stars 1 (28 March)
Not many people took note of striker Rantie when he joined Pirates at the start of the season, but his was a name that was on The Ghost’s lips after a purple patch towards the end of the season. Among the goals he scored was a beauty against Free State Stars – showing composure and maturity to expertly lob Kennedy Mweene after being played in by Benni McCarthy.

Siyabonga Nhlapho
Orlando Pirates 2 Jomo Cosmos 1 (9 April)
Moeneeb Josephs was suspended for Orlando Pirates, but even Superman would not have stopped Nhlapho’s 30-yard thunderbolt into the top left corner at the Orlando Stadium. One of about three highlights for Ezenkosi in nine months of football.

Rudolf Bester
Orlando Pirates 2 Jomo Cosmos 1 (9 April)
When Bester entered the field with 17 minutes to go, most fans must have wondered who he was, such was his lack of impact this season. But in this match he made his mark – a last-minute winner from distance which, had the net not been there, might still be going!

Musa Nyatama
Mamelodi Sundowns 4 Moroka Swallows 0 (24 August)
After a goalless first half, Sundowns came to life in a 16-minute spell in the second half to net four unanswered goals – the best of which was scored by Nyatama … a 25-yard thunderbolt into the top corner which left Greg Etafia clutching at air.

Bennet Chenene
Moroka Swallows 3
Santos 2 (15 February)
Swallows scored some spectacular goals in this memorable season, and another of those came against Santos upon the resumption of the league in February. A flowing move down the right saw the evergreen Siyabonga Nomvethe cross to Chenene, whose scissors kick gave the Santos goalie no chance.

David Mathebula
Moroka Swallows 1 Orlando Pirates 1 (2 November)
Mathebula will not forget the 2011-12 season in a hurry, and nor will anyone at the Orlando Stadium that night forget his first-time strike from 30 yards out that rocketed past a sprawling Moeneeb Josephs and into the far corner.

Tyren Arendse
Santos 3 Bidvest Wits 1 (18 February)
It’s not a season Santos will look back on with too much pride, but Arendse will find some solace in the goal he scored against Bidvest Wits – a thunderous volley following a poor clearance from a corner which had goalkeeper Emille Baron rooted to the spot.

Linda Buthelezi was awarded 27 caps for his country during the ‘90s, which included winning the 1996 Africa Cup of Nations, but there is one match that stands out above all.
The robust midfielder, who turned professional in 1991 with Jomo Cosmos, where he lost two consecutive Bob Save Super Bowl finals before finally capturing the trophy while at SuperSport United in 1999, remembers the day he made his debut for Bafana against Madagascar in an away Nations Cup qualifier on 4 September 1994.

‘My first cap was very special. Prior to that match I knew nothing about representing South Africa but I said to myself, “Let me respect coach Clive Barker’s call”. He gave me the confidence and belief that I could actually make it by saying to me, “Look, I’ve always monitored you, and I’ve always wanted to have a person like you in my team,” so I would have died for him.

‘I’d never doubted my ability; all I needed was somebody to support me. We won 1-0 and I had a good game. I was the Man of the Match and that encounter changed my perception as I realised the importance of playing for my country as well as the politics behind football.’

Buthelezi also had spells with Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs, but the man who was regarded as one of the fittest players of his era believes his first-ever international was the turning point of a great career.

‘From then on I knew I had to help the team and the country as I’d started to see that individuals like myself could change the mindsets on whatever situations we had in South Africa through sport.’

‘I was the Man of the Match and that encounter changed my perception as I realised the importance of playing for my country as well as the politics behind football’

FAST FACTS
2010 Fifa World Cup
22 June 2010 at Free
State Stadium
France 1 (Malouda 70) South Africa 2 (Khumalo 20, Mphela 37)

The Background
France had been dismal in the 2010 Fifa World Cup, with off-field spats meaning their heads were already back in Paris by the time this final Group A fixture against South Africa came around. Both teams could still advance to the second stage with a win and the result between Uruguay and Mexico went their way as well, so there was plenty to play for. Bafana Bafana needed a big win to boost their goal difference having been humbled 3-0 by Uruguay in their previous game, and they created enough chances as they overran 10-man France following the early sending-off of Yoann Gourcuff for elbowing MacBeth Sibaya.

What Made It Great
It is true that they played for 65 minutes against 10 men and a team low on confidence, but the football that Bafana Bafana displayed was of the highest standard. They might have had many more goals to show for their display and they outclassed what was still one of the world’s top footballing nations who had a team filled with global stars. They also did it with the pressure on and in front of the eyes of the world, and despite their early exit from the competition, earned respect from an admiring public and a global audience.

Quick Comment
Steven Pienaar (Bafana Bafana midfielder)

‘People can never say that we didn’t do our best. Through football, we have brought the whole nation together. We have shown that we are one country and that’s all we need to say. But this is probably the biggest win in our history. France reached the last World Cup final, so we have to be proud of beating a team of their standing.’

Teams

France: Hugo Lloris, Gael Clichy, William Gallas, Sebastien Squillaci, Bakari Sagna, Yoann Gourcuff, Franck Ribery, Alou Diarra (Sidney Govou, 82), Abou Diaby, Andre-Pierre Gignac (Florent Malouda, 46), Djibril Cisse (Thierry Henry, 55)

Coach: Raymond Domenech

South Africa: Moeneeb Josephs, Anele Ngcongca (Siboniso Gaxa, 55), Aaron Mokoena, Bongani Khumalo, Tsepo Masilela, MacBeth Sibaya, Steven Pienaar, Siphiwe Tshabalala, Thanduyise Khuboni (Teko Modise, 78), Bernard Parker (Siyabonga Nomvethe, 68), Katlego Mphela

Coach: Carlos Alberto Perreira

Africa has made its mark on the Olympic Games’ football tournament in recent times with consecutive golds in Atlanta and Sydney, silver in Beijing and a bronze in Barcelona in 1992.

It was indeed the first tournament where African football announced its potential and with a quarter of the 16-team field for the men’s tournament coming from Africa, there will be high hopes again for continental success at the upcoming 2012 London Games.

None of the African representatives this time – Egypt, Gabon, Morocco and Senegal – have won Olympic football medals in the past but have a rich tradition of success to try and emulate.
Senegal had to come through a qualifying play-off game on the eve of the draw to book their place at the Games and were drawn with the home nation, Team Great Britain. They also have the tough Uruguay to contend with in

Group A.
Gabon were the winners of the African qualifiers for the 2012 Olympics, the new Caf U23 Championships that was launched at the end of last year. Theirs was a surprise triumph, against the odds, and the team from central Africa still remains an unknown quantity.

Egypt have former Bundesliga defender Hani Ramzy, who played over 100 times for his country, in charge of their team and will be hopeful of progress to the knockout stages after being drawn with Brazil, Belarus and New Zealand. Brazil might be a stumbling block! It has become an obsession for the Brazilians to win Olympic gold, something the five time World Cup winners have never achieved.

Morocco, who hired Dutch coach Pim Verbeek to lead their challenge, share the same group with Spain, Honduras and Japan.Africa’s association with soccer at the Games stretches back more than 90 years to the seventh Olympiad in Antwerp in 1920 when Egypt were among the participants.

The representatives from the land of the Pharaohs only played a single game, beaten 2-1 by Italy. The tournament in those days was a knockout affair and after just one match the Egyptians went home, but their participation marked the first from Africa in a recognised international competition.

Africa, in fact, beat South America to the punch in terms of Olympic participation because it was only at the Olympics in Paris in 1924 that Uruguay became the first South American side to travel to Europe and participate in the event.Egypt were back at the Olympic Games in 1924 where they beat Hungary 3-0 – the first record of an African triumph over European opposition – before losing to Sweden.

In Amsterdam in 1928, Egypt beat former colonial master Turkey 7-1 with a hat-trick from Mokhtar El Tetch, another of the legends of Egyptian football, and also won against Portugal but were then hammered 6-0 by giants Argentina in the semi-final and lost 11-3 to Italy in the bronze medal match. In 1964, Egypt again made it as far as the bronze medal match after losing to Hungary in the semi-finals, but were beaten by East Germany.Africa continued to have a healthy representation at the Games but never came close to medal contention again until Barcelona in 1992.

In 1976 in Montreal African countries all boycotted the Games in protest at the participation of New Zealand, whose rugby team had had contact with apartheid South Africa in defiance of the international sporting boycott.
In 1988, Zambia scored a famous 4-0 win over Italy in South Korea with two goals from Kalusha Bwalya but faltered in the quarter-finals. The win was a major morale-booster for African football, at the time desperately seeking a breakthrough on to the international arena.

The day after the win, Italy’s pink Gazetta dello Sport newspaper famously published a map of Zambia to show their perplexed readers where these ‘upstart’ Africans came from! Bwalya’s fine performances
saw him crowned African Footballer of the Year at the end of that season.

Africa finally made the long-awaited breakthrough in 1992, Ghana’s Black Meteors winning
a bronze in the first Olympics where Africa did not send full national teams but played instead with an U23 side.

In Atlanta four years later, Nigeria’s team thrilled with their dramatic run to the final, coming from behind to beat Brazil in the semi-finals and star-studded Argentina 3-2 in the final, scoring a last-gasp winner through Emmanuel Amunike. It was just as dramatic in Sydney 2000 where Cameroon needed a penalty shootout to overcome Spain in the gold medal match.

Italy’s pink Gazetta dello Sport newspaper famously published a map of Zambia to show their perplexed readers where these ‘upstart’ Africans came from!

MEN’S TOURNAMENT FIXTURES

When looking for global stars in the Banyana Banyana set-up, one woman stands out well above the rest. Striker Nompumelelo Nyandeni was last year nominated for  the Caf Women’s Footballer of the Year title and although she lost out to Nigeria’s Perpetua Nkwocha, it was superb recognition of her rise to prominence in the game.

The 25-year-old started her career with local side Detroit Ladies, but has been playing for top Russian outfit WFC Rossiyanka, where she has had immediate success, helping them to the domestic title.

They are regulars in the Uefa Women’s Champions League too, and this year have won through to the quarter-finals, where they are due to face top German side Turbine Potsdam.

‘I was seven years old when  I started playing soccer and  I grew up playing with the boys,’ Nyandeni says. ‘I was scouted  by Detroit Ladies in 2000 and in 2001, at the age of 14, I was chosen for [SA U20 women’s national team] Basetsana.’

Nyandeni made her club debut with Detroit as a 13-year-old, and soon afterwards had trials with English giants Arsenal. ‘I was among the first women to go to England to attend trials with Arsenal. It was me, Portia Modise, Veronica Phewa, and Antonia Carelse in 2003. I passed the trials, but they said I was too young to stay on.’ That move never materialised but after winning domestic titles with Detroit Ladies and being named South African Women’s Footballer of the Year in 2010, her dream of an overseas move finally came true.

Asked if she could remember her first ever match, it seems  the memory is still as vivid as  if it happened yesterday. ‘I was 13 and I was playing for Detroit. It was a cup final and I played as a defender against Rise and Shine. I scored the winning goal from a corner kick. The final score was 1-0 after I scored in the 89th minute.’Nyandeni has proven so far in her career that just as it started all those years ago, she has the magic touch.

DID YOU KNOW?
In 2010, Nyandeni took part in a Fifa campaign for improving health through recreational football together with players such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Didier Drogba.