AN APPREHENSIVE Fifa executive and millions of nervous South Africans will be on the edge of their seats when the national soccer team faces Angola in their opening African Nations Cup match in Ghana tonight.
Danny Jordaan - the CEO of the 2010 World Cup local organising committee - said yesterday Bafana Bafana's performance would come under intense scrutiny as Fifa desperately wants the national team to use this African Nations Cup to get back to winning ways.
"This game is going to be a major test because if we perform well, everybody in world football will heave a huge sigh of relief," he said.
"Fifa president Sepp Blatter said we should not just focus on building world-class infrastructure for the World Cup, but also on building a world-class national soccer team. The first match in any African Nations Cup or World Cup is always very, very important because if we win this one, we will put ourselves in a good position to get to the next stage (of the tournament)."
Blatter said that each Bafana defeat last year had been greeted with dismay at Fifa's Zurich headquarters and they needed coach Carlos Alberto Parreira's charges to start winning. The Fifa president warned that the national team had to deliver the goods in this year's continental tournament and that their progress would be monitored from Zurich.
But Jordaan -- who returned from Ghana this week after attending the opening ceremony at the weekend -- said while few in Ghana expected Bafana to go all the way and win the continental title, there was hope that this young squad could produce some creditable performances.
"No one in Ghana believes that we are there to win it (Nations Cup). And we have a young team that we hope will show guts and determination. But we are not there just to make up the numbers. It is going to be a real test for South African football."
Jordaan said the group stages of this tournament were so difficult that the worst case scenario for Bafana after the last kick of the ball tonight would be a draw. Defeat is not an option, with decidedly trickier outings against Tunisia and Senegal coming up after tonight's clash.
Parreira's 11th-hour experiment of using defender Aaron Mokoena in the defensive midfield role, where his English club Blackburn Rovers usually employ him, will be tested by feared Angola strikers Manucho Goncalves and Flavio Amado.
The two strikers' reputations extend beyond the borders of the continent, with Goncalves on the verge of completing a transfer to English champions Manchester United if his application for a work permit is successful.
Mokoena will not be the only work in progress as the rearguard will have to get used to goalkeeper Moeneeb Josephs barking instructions behind them after Bafana No1 Rowen Fernandez dislocated his finger during a friendly against Mozambique a few days ago. As a result, Parreira will hand Josephs the No1 jersey tonight, with greenhorn Itumeleng Khune providing cover.
Goals have been in short supply for Bafana in the past few months and it will be interesting to see if Parreira persists with his much-criticised formation of utilising a lone striker. Whichever formation he settles on, veteran striker Sibusiso Zuma should be the leader and he will require decent service from Elrio van Heerden, Teko Modise, Steven Pienaar and Siphiwe Tshabalala.
BAFANA SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Moeneeb Josephs, Itumeleng KhuneDefenders: Tumelo Nhlapo, Bryce Moon, Benson Mhlongo, Bevan Fransman, Tsepo Masilela, Brett Evans, Nasief Morris, Aaron Mokoena
Midfielders: Kagiso Dikgacoi, Elrio van Heerden, Teko Modise, Lance Davids, Steven Pienaar, Siphiwe Tshabalala
Strikers: Lerato Chabangu, Surprise Moriri, Katlego Mphela, Sibusiso Zuma, Thembinkosi
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