Well, the silly season has passed and the New Year has come in with a bang - with the controversy of the Protea's performance in Australia and the final selection of Carlos Queiroz's team for the African Cup of Nations campaign in Mali.
As I have said before, when a team is announced there will always be questions asked about why some players have been selected and why some have been left out. I think Benedict Vilikazi (Orlando Pirates) and Naseef Morris (currently playing in Greece) were both very unlucky to be omitted.
However one cannot please everybody so let us all get behind them and ensure that it is a successful and happy team that participates in the African continent's no. I football tournament.
For the first time the pressure will shift from the coach to the players. If they don't perform in Mali Carlos Queiroz will be forced to change the team selected to play in the glamorous football arena of the World Cup in Japan/Korea. Everybody wants a part of the action in the World Cup and for this reason I know that players such as Benni McCarthy, Shaun Bartlett, Thabo Mngomeni, Quinton Fortune, Pierre Issa, André Arendse, Shoes Mosheou and Eric Tinkler will be who the public will sit on the fence and judge. If they are successful they will hold off the challenge of Jabu Pule, Benedict Vilikazi and Naseef Morris. If they don't perform the curtain will come down on their illustrious football playing careers. It is like the Matador versus the Bull. For these servants of South African football lets hope they are the Matadors!
CASTLE LEAGUE
The domestic season has started again after the Christmas break and Manning Rangers' eagerly awaited clash with Moroko Swallows will take place on Wednesday night. This will give us a chance of cutting back their lead in the title challenge. All credit to Victor Bondarenko's men for leading the chase at the halfway mark. We should remember that the League is not won in December! Roll on April!
Manning Rangers have their fair share of problems and have lost the services of Lizwe Nduti from the Republic of Congo, Sipho Ndzuzu who has a bad bout of flu', Pogisho Mokotjo a knee injury and Japhet Zwane, suspended.
Clubs without sponsors normally have problems with injuries and suspensions as they do not have the depth of players at their disposal that teams like Kaiser Chiefs or Orlando Pirates might have.
At this stage the favourites to win the Castle Premier League would be Moroko Swallows, Orlando Pirates or Santos. However do not write off Kaiser Chiefs, we have only to look overseas at what has happened to arguably the most popular club in the world, Manchester United. With a six game winning streak they pulled themselves back to the top of the English League.
Loss of form is temporary - Class is enduring!
THE GREAT ZIDANE
I was fortunate to watch the sublime skills of Zidane of Real Madrid recently and my mind flashed back to the game when Bafana Bafana played France in the build-up to the World Cup 1998. We led 1-0 at half time, courtesy of a goal by Shaun Bartlett. France went on to win 2-1 in a hard fought match. The catalyst for this whole turn around was Zidane. His magnificent presence on the football field is what impressed the most. He completely controlled the way his team performed in the second half. Awesome! For me he is the Beethoven of football!
At the post match press conference I remember the entire foreign press praising our performance in coming so close to defeating the World Cup favourites and tearing into Aime Jacquet, the French coach. The irony is that he went on to lift the World Cup and I stayed at home. Football is a funny game!
NEXT: My trip to Saudi Arabia in 1997, where I met the legendary coach of Brazil, Mario Zagallo. I will give some insight into his team selection problems prior to the World Cup 1998.