Closure for Zambia at last

Zambia stunned arguably one of the greatest teams to ever have fielded at an Africa Cup of Nations tournament, Ivory Coast.  Zambia went to win this year’s continental title against them, a victory that would help to heal the wounds after the tragedy of 1993, which whipped out the then Zambian national squad when their plane plunged into the Atlantic Ocean.

In a nail-biting penalty shootout against Ivory Coast Zambia won to claim the title.

The 8-7 win on penalties, after 120 goalless minutes, had emotional overtones for Zambia.

The final was staged in the Gabonese capital Libreville, off whose coast a military aircraft carrying the 1993 squad plunged into the sea, killing all 30 players, officials and crew on board.

“From the word go, I knew that Zambia would win, because that is where our fathers are resting, in Gabon,” Michael Mwale told Sapa-AFP.

Thousands of Zambians paid sombre tributes to the deceased 1993 team, bringing prayers and flowers to their graves at the now-mothballed Independence Stadium.

“We have been helped by the fallen heroes to get this far, and now they should rest in peace,” mourner Brenda Mwale said at the graveside.

Sport has often helped to unite a nation and to heal the wounds after a tragedy. Think of the Webb Ellis Trophy of 1995 and the impact it had on South Africa, how Madiba was hailed by all South Africans and how Francois Pienaar’s victory speech was saluted by the Rainbow Nation.

The magnificent victory by John Smit’s Boks in 2007 also had a massive impact on the whole of South Africa, as all cultures, creeds and races bathed in the glory of their 15-6 win against England.

Victor Matfield, in his autobiography, hailed their Super14-title race and especially their win against the Stormers in Soweto, as one of his greatest-ever moments, especially the gratifying reception that the people of Pretoria received from the residents of Soweto.

Football in free-fall

This was a classic example of how sport can heal the rifts between people.

But if Zambia is currently a soccer nation basking in the glorious sunshine of victory, South Africa is a soccer nation in free-fall. BafanaBafana fell two places on the Fifa world rankings and is currently ranked tenth of all African nations.

Recently, Kirsten Nematandani, president of the South African Football Association, lamented the fact that information was leaked to the media which wrongly indicated that SAFA was under investigation.

Nematandani recently received a letter from SASCOC chief executive officer, Tubby Reddy. He requested a meeting to address various issues within SAFA.

Nematandani had previously received a letter directly from the Minister of Sport, Fikile Mbalula, in which the Minister requested a meeting with the SAFA executive to discuss matters.

The content of the meeting was not revealed. The meeting will take place on the 9^th March.

Nematandani has also made it clear that allegations that funds from the Fifa legacy trust had been squandered, are completely without foundation and that the trust had not started to disburse funds.

But what is clear from the way in which SAFA had had to extinguish fires, is that the federation is under immense pressure. BafanaBafana have deteriorated badly after failing to qualify for the African Cup of Nations tournament, while its administration is also feeling the heat.

The only way in which BafanaBafana will improve their public profile and act as unifying force in South Africa is by consistent excellence.

On the local front

At local level, the Amakhosi, SuperSport United and Mamelodi Sundowns have been the steady performers in the ABSA Premiership competition the past week upon the resumption of the competition.

Kaizer Chiefs and United are only three points off the pace, with Sundowns still the log leaders.

The Matsatsantsa got the better of Golden Arrows thanks to an Ashley Hartog winner which saw United win 2-1, subjecting Arrows to their 11th defeat of the season and slipping dangerously close to that relegation zone in 13th place, reported www.supersport.com.

The performance of the weekend has to be the Amakhosi’s 3-0 drubbing of Moroka Swallows. Tied on the same number of points before the match, Chiefs outclassed the Dube Birds in this local Soweto derby. Mandla Masango was also at his best with a brace in Chiefs win, according to www.supersport.com.

“An ABSA Premiership is like a marathon. We started slowly, but now we have a very good chance of winning the league title,” said Katlego Mphela to Leadership Bulletin.

Before the restart of the ABSA Premiership in February, Mphela was the leading goal-scorer in 2011/2011 with nine Premiership-goals. He is also the man who has scored the third most goals for BafanaBafana - 22 from 44 matches.

Mphela has emerged as arguably Sundowns’ greatest ace and their most pivotal factor in winning the title. If Mphela fires well and receives a regular stream of possession from the midfield, this gracious mover and excellent kicker with both feet can possibly catapult Sundowns to title-glory.

But time will tell if Sundowns possess the same strength in reserve and the same hunger for titles as Amakhosi and SuperSport United.

The quality of soccer in the Absa Premiership and, specifically the quality of strikers produced in this season’s ABSA Premiership, is a vital side-show because BafanaBafana will need more excellent mid-fielders and a striker-partner for Killer Mphela if they want to transform their dream of a 2014 Soccer World Cup qualification into reality.