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South Africa
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after isolation because of Apartheid
a rapid soar to be one of the top teams of Africa
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fidgety development of the scene:
where will South African football go?
fourth major tournament
in a 4 years span with the fourth different coach
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the biggest talent Benni McCarthy
opted not to play for the National team becaues he wanted to concentrate
on his club career first. His sudden change of mind might have come too
late
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problems around the game at
South Africa
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the World Cup 2006 hosting question
is far the most important influence on the future - to present themselves
in a good shape on all levels at Ghana/Nigeria would be of big help
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overview: South
Africa among the best of Africa
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the
list of players (includes age and where do they play
analysis)
After having
overcome Apartheid, South Africa with their European/African blend and
a quite good infrastructure has been the comet at the African sky. Class
teams from all over the world have been willing to play in the friendly
conditions of South Africa when they never would have made a trip to Accra
or Abidjan, but they also came for the symbolic meaning of the matches.
This helped South
Africa quickly to build the team that won the African Cup Of Nations 1996
on home turf. It had been an exceptional collection of players, who since
then have come into age or have not improved for other reason.
The quickly changing
South African society and football culture have since put up discussions
on how to rebuilt the team. The dream to gather it around Benni McCarthy,
the early labelled 'African Ronaldo' who sparkled at the African Nations
Cup of 1998, had failed. After his career had become stuck between National
team obligations and practise struggle for a team place in European squads
he had refused to play for South Africa. So he was not included in the
squad for the Nations Cup. After a change of mind he is now on the reserve
list to replace a possible injury. He is not the only South African star
to struggle in his club. Quinton Fortune has aimed high in signing with
Manchester United, but yet he has played only a few minutes.
But when he had the chance he
has seized it like at the World Club Championship where he scored 2 goals
in the meaningless third match for Manchester United.
News spread easier
from South Africa to other continents than from Central-, West-, or East-African
countries. So severe adminsitrative problems at home have darkened the
once overbright sky of South African football: especially violence around
the game has caused anxiety. Only the worldwide feeling that South Africa
should host the World Cup 2006 for symbolic reasons covers the temporary
crisis the football is in. This great goal is what might keep South Africas
football on track yet.
It is one of the most
thrilling questions of African football what will become of the unique
blend South African football can offer and how well they will perform in
the first decade of the new century. The question of whether South Africa
will host the World Cup or not maybe will be of higher impact than this
tournament. But for this question a problem-free Nations Cup and a good
performance will help.
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