Sports
Bafana Seeks To Improve Record Against European Opposition
Bafana Bafana, who are preparing to face Poland in Warsaw
today, have a record against European opposition that leaves a lot to be
desired.
South Africa have won just nine of their 39 previous matches
against teams from the continent and only one of those came against a power of
the European game – a French side in disarray at the 2010 World Cup.
Other successes have come against Malta, Denmark, Sweden,
Scotland, Turkey, Slovenia, Norway and Poland.
The victory over the Poles came on home soil in the lead-up
to the 2009 Confederations Cup when Terror Fanteni scored on six minutes, which
proved enough for the win.
Bafana will hope to draw some confidence from that game
today, though only three of the Polish side that played that day remain in the
squad: left-back Marcin Komorowski, and forwards Marek Saganowski and Robert
Lewandowski.
South Africa’s first victory over European opposition was
against Sweden in 1999, when Siyabonga Nomvete scored late on for a 1-0 win.
Their only victory in Europe was against lowly Malta the
following year, with Thabo Mngomeni on the scoresheet against the tiny island
nation, which has a population roughly the same as Benoni’s.
The biggest victories against nations from the continent
came within three days of each other, as Bafana beat Scotland and Turkey, both
by a 2-0 margin, in the Hong Kong Reunification Cup ahead of the 2002 World
Cup.
But largely it has been a tale of disappointment, though
Bafana have never been humiliated by European opposition, as they have been
against the likes of Nigeria and Mexico in the past.
A 4-2 loss in Germany was tough to take but many better
sides have fared worse in that country, while there were also 3-0 defeats
against France in the opening game of the 1998 World Cup, Germany in 1997 and
in Sweden in 2001.
Their two heaviest defeats came in matches when they might
have been expected to do much better. They lost 4-1 in Georgia under Jomo Sono
in 2002 and went down by the same scoreline in Iceland under Stuart Baxter in
2005.
Their biggest home defeat against European opposition was a
3-1 loss to Serbia in August 2009, one of the last games in charge for
Brazilian coach Joel Santana.
Bafana’s 39 games have yielded 32 goals for and 60 against,
though out of the 21 European nations they have faced so far, they have failed
to score against just three of those – Italy (two games), Netherlands and
Portugal.
Senegal goalkeeper Edouard Mendy has said that criticism that he and other players chased money by moving to Saudi Arabia is wide of the mark.
The 33-year-old left Chelsea for Al-Ahli in a £16m ($21.4m) deal in 2023, and in May the Africa Cup of Nations winner helped his Saudi club win the Asian Champions League, making him one of the few players to win both that competition and its European equivalent.
But, like many others, Mendy has been criticised for playing for money rather than prestige in the lucrative Saudi Pro League.
When asked about such criticism, Mendy told a Tidesports source, “Al-Ahli’s project came along and they made me feel I had a big role to play.
“Two years later, we won the Champions League for the first time in the club’s history. So yes, that validates my choice. And I hope the coming years will validate it even more.”
He added: “Some people will quickly jump to conclusions and say the only reason is money. From the start, I always said that when I left Chelsea, I knew I was joining another team where I could win everything , which was no longer the case at Chelsea.”
The Blues have since won the Conference League, Europe’s third-tier club competition, under the ownership of Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital.
But it comes after the regime’s trophyless first two years, a period which has frustrated some supporters after the success enjoyed under Roman Abramovich’s stewardship in the previous 19 years.
Mendy has also been celebrating what he describes as a historical win with Senegal against England at Nottingham Forest’s City Ground, but days earlier he had been in Dakar delivering a different kind of win.
He is the sponsor of Yakaar, a school in Keur Massar, which seeks to improve funding and access to digital learning tools for local children from underprivileged backgrounds.
Famously, as Mendy grew up in France, he was unemployed, aged 22, while struggling to find a club, with members of his family still living on the outskirts of Dakar.
That is why Yakaar, a word meaning “hope”, was chosen, a word Mendy has carried with him in his career.
“Hope is what kept me going. When I was without a club, it was the hope of getting that first professional contract.
“Then the hope of playing for the national team. The hope of making my family proud by doing the job I had always dreamed of.
“Indeed, hope is the best word to describe my career.”
Mendy was also asked whether the responsibility of being an African goalkeeper had weighed heavily on him.
“Of course. When I was in England, there weren’t many African goalkeepers in top clubs,” he admitted.
“Whether nationally or internationally, I had that responsibility. It’s the same for other African goalkeepers like Andre Onana [Manchester United] or Yassine Bounou (Al-Hilal).”
The entire refereeing committee has been fired by the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), with structural reforms soon set to follow.
According to sources, the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) has dismissed the entire refereeing committee in response to mounting pressure from clubs demanding structural reform. A major shake-up aimed at modernising Spanish refereeing from top to bottom has now been set in motion.
Head of the Technical Committee of Referees (CTA), Luis Medina Cantalejo and Head of VAR, Carlos Clos Gomez, have been removed from their positions. They are joined by several senior officials, including Antonio Rubinos Perez and three vice presidents, who are also stepping down. A new leadership model will be introduced, led by a CEO and a sporting director, aiming to overhaul how refereeing is managed covering assessments, promotions, and daily operations. While the leadership changes are sweeping, the current pool of referees in La Liga and the second tier will remain, ensuring continuity on the field during the transition.
Cristiano Ronaldo has signed a new two-year contract with Al-Nassr that means he will stay with the Saudi Pro League club until beyond his 42nd birthday.
The Portugal captain, 40, joined the Riyadh-based team in December 2022 after leaving Manchester United in acrimonious circumstances, having criticised the club and said he had no respect for manager Erik ten Hag.
Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr deal had been due to expire at the end of June and there was speculation he could leave, but that has now been quashed.
In a post on X, Ronaldo wrote: “A new chapter begins. Same passion, same dream. Let’s make history together.”
Although Al-Nassr have not added to their nine domestic titles during Ronaldo’s time at the club, they have benefited from a flood of goals from the five-time Ballon d’Or winner.
Ronaldo scored 35 times in 41 matches across all competitions last term and was the league’s top scorer for a second consecutive season.
He has managed 99 goals in appearances overall for Al-Nassr and is well on his way to reaching 1,000 senior goals in his career, with a current tally of 938 for club and country.
Having helped Portugal win the Uefa Nations League a little over two weeks ago, the former Manchester United, Real Madrid, Sporting and Juventus forward will almost certainly now be targeting a sixth World Cup appearance next summer.
Only a month ago, Ronaldo posted on social media to say “the chapter is over”.
That came after the Saudi Pro League wrapped up with Al-Nassr finishing third and trophyless once again.
The comment fuelled rumours that Ronaldo was ready to leave the league where he reportedly became the best-paid player in football history with an annual salary of £177m when he joined.
Fifa president Gianni Infantino raised the prospect of Ronaldo joining a team involved in the Club World Cup after Al-Nassr failed to qualify for the extended tournament which is being held in the United States.
Ronaldo said he had received offers from participating teams but had turned them down.
The decision to stay until at least 2027, which is certain to be highly lucrative, appears to rule out any future prospect of Ronaldo returning to play at the highest level in Europe.