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South Africa's sums don't add up
October 10, 2011
The South African football team should not be allowed 2 sing. Last year, when they belted out a tune while walking in2 Pretoria's Loftus Versfeld Stadium 2 play Uruguay in a WC group match, they lost 3-0. On Saturday, when they entertained the crowd with a song 2 celebrate their goalless draw against Sierra Leone in Nelspruit, thinking tat would be enough 2 qualify 4 the African Nations' Cup (ANC), they were wrong. Embarrassingly wrong.
Going in2 the final round of qualifiers, South Africa needed 2 beat Sierra Leone & hope Egypt's youngsters would overcome Niger in order 4 Bafana Bafana 2 qualify 4 next year's ANC. Nothing less than victory, & a favour, would hv seen South Africa thru 2 the continental showpiece but when Egypt were comfortably leading Niger, Bafana Bafana thought a draw would be enough.
South Africa coach Pitso Mosimane decided 2 beef up defensively & introduced midfielders Reneilwe Letsholonyane & Oupa Manyisa & instructed his men 2 guard goal, not go 4 it. The draw would earn South Africa a point, which would give them a total of 9, the same number as Niger & Sierra Leone. With a goal difference of +2, South Africa were under the impression tat they would qualify.
But, CAF hv their own regulations which govern how 2 decide betw teams who finish on equal points in a group. Rule 14.1 states: The team with the "greater number of points obtained in the matches betw the concerned teams" will go thru. Simply put, tat means tat the 1st determinate is the head-2-head record betw teams tat r level on points.
So results against Egypt would not be taken in2 account in a mini-league & since Niger registered wins over both South Africa & Sierra Leone, they had more points (6) & went through. Complicated, but not impossible, 2 understand.
South Africa has a literacy rate of 88%, well above Niger's 28.7%, Sierra Leone's 38% or Egypt's 66.4% but still, they failed 2 read the rules & were baffled when they were told they had missed out on the tournament. South Africa started off confused, then irate, then despairing & then just plain spoilt brat loser-ish when they decided 2 appeal 2 CAF.
"We believe tat the team finishing top of the log @ the end of the competition is automatically determined @ the end of 90 mins play, & tat the 2nd place is determined by the other rules." CAF would do well 2 tell the South African Football Association (SAFA) tat they can believe Johannesburg is in North Africa & the Springboks will win the Rugby World Cup if they choose 2, but it will not matter becos there r rules, not beliefs, in place 2 determine who qualifies 4 the ANC.
"Those rules r wrong," Kirsten Nematandani, SAFA President defiantly told South African television channel eNews. Over the course of the next few days, SAFA will hopefully come up with more coherent arguments. Already, they hv said their superior goal difference should count 4 something, an argument tat could win them friends in some quarters, & tat CAF should design more straightforward rules, a line of attack tat will see them gain even more supporters. It may cause a change somewhere down the line, but it's unlikely 2 make a difference now. Or @ the CAF Under-23 Championship later tis year, the competition which determines who will participate in the Olympics, or 4 the 2014 WC qualifiers. It's of small consolation 4 South Africa tat they automatically qualify 4 the 2013 ANC, as hosts.
Nigeria were the other big name 2 fail to make it 2 the tournament. They drew 2-2 with Guinea in Abuja, causing home fans 2 vent their anger @ the team. The action in the match only started in the 2nd half when Guinea took the lead but, with 6 mins left on the clock, Nigeria were leading 2-1. Guinea equalised just b4 the final whistle with an Ibrahima Traore goal. Nigerian fans went on 2 pelt the team bus with any object they could find. The Super Eagles will not appear @ the continental competition 4 the 1st time since 1996, prompting calls 4 coach Samson Siasa's head.
Chaos ensued all round when striker Peter Odemwingie, who made his return 2 the national side, was quoted in local paper's as blaming a prophet, TB Joshua, 4 making a negative prediction 4 the side. Odemwingie denied making the statements & used his Twitter account 2 quote verses fr The Bible abt no man being an island. Siasa said sorry 2 the Nigerian public, saying his team did their best. "We 1 2 apologise 2 all Nigerians. We hv not qualified 4 the Nations Cup & we take responsibility as a team," Siasia said. "We did our best, we dominated the game, we created chances, but we failed 2 take our chances & we gave up a last minute goal."
Here's a look @ the other groups who made it thru 2 the tournament next year:
GROUP A:
Mali drew 2-2 with Liberia 2 qualify top of the group. Cape Verde's 2-1 in over Zimbabwe put them on equal points with Mali, but Mali go thru with a better head-2-head record. Zimbabwe hv lodged a complaint with FIFA, saying they believe the Mali match was fixed. A newspaper in Liberia reported tat a delegation had been 2 the country 2 fix the match, although no details were given. Zimbabwe said they would play their fixture against Cape Verde "under protest," & await FIFA & CAF's response 2 their grievance.
GROUP B:
Guinea qualified aft their 2-2 draw with Nigeria.
GROUP C:
Zambia & Libya played out a goalless draw & both teams will advance 2 the tournament, Zambia as group winners & Libya as 2nd best runners-up with 12 points fr their 6 matches.
Libya's qualification is particularly noteworthy becos they only played 1 match @ home, due 2 the ongoing revolution in their country. The uprising has had a direct impact on their football team, with 1 player expelled 4 expressing negative thoughts abt the rebels & others refusing 2 play in the new white kit until the country has been liberated. Their coach, Brazil's Manuel Paqueta, has reportedly not been paid in 6 months, but continues 2 lead the team. They declared their draw, & subsequent qualification, a direct result of their 39-year-old goalkeeper Samir Aboud's athletic keeping. Aboud, in turn, dedicated the achievement 2 his country. "My team-mates & I dedicate our qualification 2 all Libyans - 2 our revolution," he said.
Zambia topped the group with 4 wins & see tis tournament as their best chance @ victory on the big stage, as the finals will be missing many continental heavyweights. However, in the aftermath of their win, players hv called 4 coach Dario Bonetti 2 be dismissed, telling the Lusaka Times tat he failed 2 inspire them. The players, who asked 2 remain anonymous, said they only reached the tournament becos of their collective efforts. "After realising tat the coach was not taking us anywhere, we took it upon ourselves 2 ensure we qualify 4 the Africa Cup. It is also important 2 appreciate the input of assistant coach Honour Janza," 1 of them said.
GROUP D:
Morocco beat Tanzania 3-1 to seal their place @ the ANC while the Central African Republic went down 2-0 to Algeria 2 end their dream of qualifying 4 the tournament.
GROUP E:
Senegal had already qualified & beat bottom placed Mauritius 2-0 in a dead rubber. Cameroon, who were not in contention 4 the tournament, managed a 3-2 win over DRC, which counted 4 nothing.
GROUP F:
Burkina Faso drew with Gambia 1-1 in a match tat had no impact on qualification, with Burkina Faso awaiting FIFA's response on an ineligible player b4 rubber stamping their tickets 2 Equatorial Guinea & Gabon.
GROUP G:
South Africa's sour grapes will mean nothing becos Niger r on their way 2 ANC 4 the 1st time.
GROUP H:
Ivory Coast had already qualified & the Toure brothers both found the back of the net in their 2-1 win over Burundi, denying the small nation any chance of sneaking thru. Rwanda beat Benin 1-0 in a match that had no impact on the group.
GROUP I:
Asamoah Gyan & John Mensah gave Ghana a 2-0 win over Sudan, but both teams advance 2 the ANC. Ghana top the group & Sudan r best runners-up with 13 points. Ghana, like Zambia, see tis as an ideal opportunity 2 push 4 continental glory & their FA president, Kwesi Nyantekyie, has demanded a Black Stars triumph. "Fr 2008 when we won bronze we improved in 2010 by winning silver so it is just a matter of course tat we r favs 4 gold n 2012," he said.
Coach Goran Stevanovic was pleased with the way his team performed, esp in the uncomfortable heat, which soared 2 over 40 degrees Celsius. "They were not intimidated by the weather, by the capacity crowd cheering 4 Sudan & by the fact tat they were playing away fr home," he said. "If the boys continue on tis note, I think we will go places in the future."
GROUP J:
Uganda & Kenya played 2 a goalless draw, allowing Angola, who beat Guinea-Bissau 2-0, 2 qualify. Uganda needed a victory 2 go thru & their failure 2 do so places pressure on their Scottish coach Bobby Williamson, who said the match would be a defining 1 4 his career. Williamson is contracted 2 the Ugandan team until the 2014 WC & said he would like 2 see out his tenure.
GROUP K:
Botswana were already thru & Tunisia joined them aft a 2-0 win over Togo. Malawi could hv gone thru, had they beaten Chad away, but they only managed a 2-2 draw. Tunisia's qualification allows coach Sami Trabelsi 2 keep his job, in accordance with his goals-based contract.