Tuesday, May 20, 2003
Dom Raynor
Bafana get tough for historic clash
Dominic Raynor
When Sven Goran Eriksson's team walk out in Durban's Absa Stadium on Thursday night it will be the first time England have officially faced South Africa on their home turf.
Lucas Radebe: Bone of contention (TonyMarshall/Empics)
Although the English FA sent amateur 'test' teams to face Bafana Bafana up until 1956, when former England manager Sir Bobby Robson travelled with the team, they were never recognised as proper internationals and the informal visits later ceased due to South Africa's apartheid-enforced isolation.
After the restrictions were lifted on a newly integrated South Africa in the early nineties the FA invited their national team to Old Trafford for a friendly in 1997, which they lost 2-1, but to date England are yet to place a boot on South African soil.
To mark the historical significance of Thursday's clash the England squad will meet former president Nelson Mandela - a man who did much to crush apartheid - the day before the match, while the actual football promises to produce far less grandeur.
Or at least it did until South Africa decided to do everything within their power to ensure that their best players are on display. The South African Football Association (SAFA) even went as far as removing coach Ephraim Mashaba for the match as they did not agree with the new manager's low key selection policy.
Mashaba originally announced a squad that included only one overseas player - Germinal Beerschot defender Aaron Mokoena - after ignoring a request from SAFA to include Bafana's big-name oversees stars for a game designed to showcase South Africa's World Cup 2010 bid.
Mashaba's inexperienced squad was a protest at the high-profile players' past refusals to attend internationals. A list of shame that icluded Leeds United's Lucas Radebe, Charlton Athletic's Shaun Bartlett and Celta Vigo's Benni McCarthy.
However, the SAFA did not share Mashaba's moral stance, especially with a multi-million pound World Cup bid in the balance, and they removed the coach for the England clash to install former boss Jomo Sono instead.
SAFA puppet Sono, who only quit Bafana Bafana after a poor showing at last summer's World Cup, duly selected the required stars in a shiny new squad that included Radebe, Bartlett, McCarthy, Quinton Fortune and various other players who ply their trade abroad.
In comparison, Sven Goran Eriksson's attempts to get tough on player selection, after being hugely criticised for the Australia friendly debacle, by selecting Everton striker Wayne Rooney against his manager's wishes simply pale into insignificance.
Eriksson, who fielded a different team in each half against the Aussies after bowing to club pressure, selected Rooney despite Everton boss David Moyes' extreme displeasure about the 17-year-old being asked to travel 9,000 miles for a friendly.
Moyes insisted that the youngster should be spared the trip after some fatigued performances towards the end of the season. When it was announced that Rooney had suffered medial ligament damage after the final game of the season and could not join up with England sceptical glances were cast towards Goodison Park.
And when Eriksson announced his squad for England's triple header - a friendly against Serbia and Montenegro precludes the Euro 2004 qualifier against Slovakia - the Swede included Rooney, much to Moyes' dismay.
Wayne Rooney: Bone of contention (MatthewAshton/Empics)
However, after a medical conducted in London by England doctor Leif Sward, at which both the England and Everton boss were present, it was concluded that the injury was bona fide and that Rooney would not have to travel to South Africa. Instead, he would join the squad for their six-day training camp in La Manga, baring any set back with his knee, on Friday.
In Eriksson's defence he has insisted that his injured players join up with the England squad ever since Paul Scholes was withdrawn with an injury by Manchester United, only to play a Premiership game four days before September's clash with Portugal.
But Sven's selection problems did not end there.
The England boss had understandably said that he would not require any of Arsenal's or Southampton's FA Cup finalists to play so soon after such a big game and in doing so robbed himself of his first choice left-back, Ashley Cole, and his back-up Wayne Bridge.
Southampton striker James Beattie, the Premiership's leading English goalscorer, was also out of the picture. Arsenal centre-back Sol Campbell had picked up an injury before the squad announcement on May 12, as did Manchester United duo Gary Neville and Nicky Butt, Newcastle defender Jonathan Woodgate and Everton goalkeeper Richard Wright.
Since then Eriksson has seen Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy withdrawn from the squad and ruled out for the summer, Newcastle's Kieron Dyer has followed suit (again) and now Chelsea centre-back John Terry is looking doubtful for the Durban clash.
West Ham United's Joe Cole and Aston Villa's Gareth Barry, who have both been relegated to the Under-21's under Eriksson since making senior debuts early in their careers, benefit from the withdrawals. The scenario is such, that anybody not injured and not in the depleted squad can count themselves a very long way off making it.
So despite Sven's initially determination to banish the criticism that surrounds his selection policy for England friendlies with a show of steel, he may now have to rethink his strategy and once again wrap his big name performers in cotton wool until the competitive showdown with Slovakia.
South Africa squad:
Goalkeepers: Brian Baloyi (Kaizer Chiefs), Moneeb Josephs (Ajax Cape Town)
Defenders: Tony Coyle (Wits University), Lucky Lekgwathi, Mbulelo Mabizela (Orlando Pirates), Aaron Mokoena (Germinal Beerschot, Belgium), Thabang Molefe (Jomo Cosmos), Lucas Radebe (Leeds United, England), Bradley Carnell (VfB Stuttgart, Germany) or Jacob Lekgetho (Lokomotiv Moscow, Russia)
Midfielders: Delron Buckley (VfL Bochum, Germany), Quinton Fortune (Manchester United, England), Stanton Fredericks (Kaizer Chiefs), Clement Mazibuko (Umtata Bush Bucks), Jabulani Mendu (Moroka Swallows), Tebeho Mokoena (Jomo Cosmos), MacBeth Sibaya (Rubin Kazan, Russia), Sibusiso Zuma (FC Copenhagen, Denmark)
Strikers: Shaun Bartlett (Charlton Athletic, England), Mabhudi Khanyeza (Lamontville Golden Arrows), Benni McCarthy (Celta Vigo, Spain), Lesley Manyathela (Orlando Pirates), Siyabonga Nomvete (Udinese, Italy)
England squad:
Goalkeepers: James (West Ham), Robinson (Leeds), Walker (Leicester)
Defenders: A Cole* (Arsenal), Bridge* (Southampton), Mills (Leeds), P Neville (Man Utd), Ferdinand (Man Utd), Southgate (Middlesbrough), Terry (Chelsea), Upson (Birmingham City)
Midfielders: Beckham (Man Utd), Scholes (Man Utd), J Cole (West Ham), Jenas (Newcastle), Hargreaves* (Bayern Munich), Barry (Aston Villa), Lampard (Chelsea), Gerrard (Liverpool), Sinclair (West Ham)
Forwards: Owen (Liverpool), Heskey (Liverpool), Rooney* (Everton), Vassell (Aston Villa), Beattie* (Southampton).
* Will join the squad after friendly with South Africa.
David Beckham leaves the squad after the South Africa game, as he is suspended for the Euro 2004 qualifier.
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