If there is a football hell, this could be it. The sky, looking gloomy and ominous, is laden with soaking drizzle on what was supposed to be a summer’s day. With thunder rumbling in their ears and forked lightning slashing down from the heavens, poor Moroka Swallows found themselves flapping haplessly into the eye of the storm in the depths of the third tier of South African football.
From the first minute, Swallows were outmuscled, outplayed and outthought at the Italian Club in Germiston, Johannesburg.
Their heads dropped at 1-0 and didn’t come up again. African All Stars – who missed out narrowly on promotion from the ABC Motsepe Gauteng League last season– made it 2-0 at half time and 3-0 by the final whistle. It could have been six; Swallows retained merely three of their players who were relegated from the National First Division last season and all of the Premier Soccer League (PSL) players are long gone. This has left a vulnerable and inexperienced side taking on the physical rigours of the third division.
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Swallows are dejected, demoralized, often defeated, and down among the dead men of the lower leagues; boys against men. On this day, the men playing for African All Stars earned a R700 ($50) win bonus; by the look of it, Swallows may not get one for a long time yet.
The second half was better from Swallows, but a wasted afternoon was summed up after a flowing move down the right ended in a wild shot into the middle of nowhere.
“We should take him off and not replace him with anyone,” says one diehard Swallows supporter.
The defeat left Swallows languishing one point above the relegation zone with one win in eight games. Where they go down to from here is anybody’s guess. A few days later, under even gloomier skies, Swallows played league leaders Maccabi FC. In Africa, rain is meant to bring good luck. It seemed to come this night as Swallows, against the run of play, scored a last-minute goal to seal a 2-1 victory, only their second win of the season. Will the win, and the rain, open the floodgates on a successful season? It’s unlikely.
It is incredible to think Swallows, founded in 1947 and one of the oldest clubs in Africa, won the MTN8 Cup final just four years ago and was considered one of the top three clubs. Gordon Igesund, one of South Africa’s best coaches who went on to manage his country, was at the helm in those days of plain sailing.
Sadder still is that a handful of Swallows loyalists turn up every week, dressed in their maroon robes and hats of homage – largely for old time’s sake – with enthusiasm for a cup final rather than a football wake.
One of them is a man the fans call Spikiri, from Alexandra, a driver for one of the cinema companies. He is dressed from head-to-toe in maroon with sunglasses under his sun hat. Spikiri, born in 1968, has supported Swallows since he was five and shakes his head at half-time as he tells FORBES AFRICA of his pain over two relegations in three seasons.
“Tjo, my man I was crying. I could not believe it. I felt sick. I didn’t eat for a week. My family and friends laughed at me. I couldn’t even perform in bed for my lady,” he says. “I couldn’t believe my team was gone.”
Even the African All Stars players, who were paid to pour on the pain on this afternoon, can’t believe the fall of Swallows.
“It’s a South African shock, they shouldn’t be here,” says 22-year-old striker Siphiwe Simelane.
The downfall of Swallows has many fathers: the death of a chairman, who loved the club, mismanagement and disastrous deals.
The team manager, Power Makhura, feels the current chairman shouldn’t be running the club from Cape Town. He isn’t “hands on,” he tells me.
In August 2016, FORBES AFRICA reported on a desperate last-ditch bid to buy the club’s way back into the PSL by taking the place of Free State Stars. It was far too late and the PSL said no.
The word among the faithful few on the terraces suggests that this self-same deal may be back on.
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“There is a 100 percent a deal in place to buy Free State Stars next season and use the current side as the development team,” says Spikiri who claims to have the ear of the committee. “We pay for the thing we love, it’s a small price to pay.”
Maybe, but one Swallow doesn’t make a PSL return.
At the final whistle, the hunched youngsters of Swallows trudge to their coach as if they were on the way to the headmaster’s office.
“It can’t get any worse than this, which is probably the upside of the situation,” chuckled the substitution advisor in the clapboard stand.
What is certain is that Swallows are likely to have to swallow a lot more pride before this football hell freezes over.

Wounded Swallows  Roast In Football Hell

South Africa is the sleeping giant of African football. The national side has regressed since they won the Africa Cup of Nations in 1996 and 21 coaching changes since that triumph is a sign of the team’s underachievement.
The latest coach to step up to the plate and try steer the country back to the top tier is Shakes Mashaba. When he was announced as Gordon Igesund’s successor, fans celebrated the appointment. They believe he is the right man for the high-pressure job due to his previous stints with Bafana Bafana and his impressive record with the national junior teams.
Mashaba is pleased to be sitting at the top table again and he promises nothing but success. Though aware of the challenges he is facing, he is confident he will deliver good results.
“I feel honored that I have been appointed as Bafana Bafana coach again. I am very thankful to the [South African Football Association] for the confidence that they have showed in me by giving me this job. Everyone loves a winner and I know that our fans want to see Bafana Bafana doing well,” says Mashaba.
His confidence is not misplaced. He believes he has everything at his disposal to succeed.
“We have talent in South Africa and we have so many top quality players that I feel they can do a good job for our national team. I know the strength of our players and what they are capable of. I am confident that we will play good football and the people will enjoy it. We will improve.”
South Africans are equally optimistic because of Mashaba’s ability to identify raw talent and his willingness to give young players an opportunity. While in charge of Amajita, the South African Under-20 team, they were crowned Cosafa champions and they recently qualified for the African Youth Championship.
Mashaba is also involved with the Nedbank Ke Yona team, a development side that played against South Africa’s football giants Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates. He insists that development projects like this will be a priority for him as it will ultimately benefit Bafana Bafana.
“It is good when we identify talent at an early age. We give the youngsters the necessary coaching while they are still young so that they can develop in good structures and end up becoming shining stars for Bafana Bafana,” he says.
“I enjoy working with the youngsters, just look at our success with the Under-20s. I feel that there is a bright future for our players in the Under-20 squad and I have confidence that they will achieve a lot wherever they compete.”
Finding the players that make up the Ke Yona team wasn’t always easy but the hard work is staring to pay off.
“I am very impressed with the progress of the program. We have a good vision when we go deep in some rural parts of the country and find talented players who are determined to have an impact in football. It was very encouraging to see the youngsters giving their best against the two big professional teams. I feel that it will be good for football when some of those youngsters get an opportunity to play in some of the Premier Soccer League teams because they have tremendous potential,” he says.
When Mashaba announced his team selection for the African Cup of Nations qualifier against Sudan, his first match in charge of South Africa, he chose players on merit rather than reputation. His players responded to the confidence Mashaba placed in them and produced some exciting attacking football in a 3-0 win away from home.
“We follow the players and look at how they are performing at their different clubs. All the players that we select we feel that they can add the value in the Bafana Bafana squad,” he says.
“I was expecting a tough game from Sudan considering the conditions that we were facing playing away from home. I am happy that our players responded well and we managed to score three good goals.”
Mashaba was determined to keep that positive run going when South Africa hosted their biggest rivals, Nigeria, in a crucial match in Cape Town. The much anticipated clash against the reigning African champions ended in a goalless draw despite South Africa dominating the game. South Africa’s midfield controlled the game but the perennial problem of wastefulness in front of goal let them down.
“We don’t have a good record against Nigeria so we knew very well that it was going to be a highly competitive game. We played well and we created so many scoring opportunities, it was just a pity that we did not score,” says a rueful Mashaba.
“The players gave their best.”
Despite his stature in African football and the promising start he has made in his tenure, Mashaba is reluctant to take any praise that is thrown his way. Instead, he credits his assistant coaches, Owen Da Gama and Thabo Senong.
“I have a strong technical team. The coaches that I work with at Bafana Bafana are very committed. We work well together as a team and make decisions that will help the team get good results,” he says.
Mashaba is modest and hard working. He is also a proud South African and needs the country’s full support so he can get the most out of a team that for so long has flattered to deceive. Let’s hope he will be given a fair chance as he deserves to lead his country at the next World Cup.

Shaking A Sleeping Giant

All eyes are on new Bafana Bafana head coach, Gordon Igesund, to deliver for the national side as Afcon 2013’s kick-off date draws closer.
Igesund took over from Pitso Mosimane after a string of poor results from Bafana Bafana. He signed a two-year, performance-based contract with the South Africa Football Association (Safa) and has the task of, at the very least, getting Bafana Bafana to the semi-finals of the tournament.
Igesund has a solid track record in South Africa, having won league titles with four different teams—Manning Rangers, Orlando Pirates, Santos and Mamelodi Sundowns.
<div id="attachment_1496" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1496" class="size-medium wp-image-1496" src="/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/1578892-300x233.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="233" />3 Feb 1996: The captain of the winners of the African Cup of Nations Final Neil Tovey of South Africa holds the cup aloft after President Mandela presented it to him. South Africa won 2-0. Mandatory Credit: Mark Thompson/ALLSPORT</div>
However, so far results have been patchy. Igesund’s first game in charge was against former world champions Brazil. They lost 1-0 but Bafana Bafana’s overall performance was impressive. Igesund was content with the high work rate that players displayed on the field. His second test was against low-ranked Mozambique. Bafana Bafana won 2-0 convincingly against their neighbors. Bafana Bafana showed great character and strong determination against Poland but were unlucky to lose 1-0, away from home. Most recently, Bafana Bafana managed to bag a victory at the expense of Kenya with a 2-1 score in an interesting battle.
Igesund believes the results show that the team is on the right track as they gear up for Afcon 2013 that kicks off at the FNB Stadium in Johannesburg.
“I have confidence in our players, that they have what it takes to deliver. [During] my first game, when we played against Brazil, I did not spend a lot of time with the players but they displayed high standard performances and gave Brazil a tough game.
“The players were playing an exciting passing game and they complemented each other well. It was a pity Brazil scored and we ended up losing,” says the coach.
In their most recent game, Igesund says that Bafana was faced with tough conditions but prevailed.
“It was a bumpy pitch, but we did cope and got a win away from home. That was an important result for us,” he says.
Still the pressure is on for the coach. The glory days of the 1996 Bafana Bafana team, under coach Clive Barker, that lifted the trophy means the team has high expectations. Afcon is back on South African soil and the nation will remember the 2-0 victory over Tunisia with goals delivered off the boot of striker Mark Williams.
Igesund says support is crucial.
“The support that we have from the nation will motivate us.”
South Africa has a dream start to the tournament that kicks off on January 19, at Soccer City in Johannesburg. They are in group A and will kick-off with a match against debutantes Cape Verde. Also in the group are Morocco and Angola.
Igesund says they’ll be ready and won’t dismiss Cape Verde or any of the other teams in the group.
“We will be ready to make the country proud by the time the tournament starts. Cape Verde might be making their debut in the finals but they will be a tough team considering they eliminated giants like Cameroon. Morocco is one strong team and Angola cannot be underestimated,” says Igesund.
It’s all about starting on a good footing.
“We have to take all our opening games seriously, in order to do well in our group.”
Bafana Bafana has a number of challenges. Former captain Steven Pienaar, who played for Everton in the English Premiership, has retired from international football.
Igesund has recalled Benedict McCarthy. Though experienced, the Orlando Pirates forward has been out of action for a while due to injury. The other influential player who is also uncertain is Kaizer Chiefs defender Morgan Gould. Igesund has not been able to select him for recent games because Gould has been battling with a long-term injury.
And most tragically, the squad will also be without first assistant coach Thomas Madigage who was killed in a car crash in October. The loss of Madigage has hit the Bafana camp hard.
“Tommy was very close to me. It is unfortunate that he will not be around during the tournament. He was a very important member in the team,” says Igesund.

Tag: Gordon Igesund

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