Questions South Africa Under-17 boys coach Duncan Crowie liked to avoid diplomatically during the recent COSAFA Championship in Malawi revolved around Amajimbos’ potential for greatness.
Crowie, a former striker, refused to entertain talk that some members of his squad had the potential to retrace footsteps of Bafana Bafana’s 1996 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) winning class.
“It is difficult to compare after just one tournament. These players are young,” he said.
“They need to be managed properly. We don’t want a situation where in two years, everybody will be asking: ‘where is Siyabonga Mabena?”
WHY DUNCAN CROWIE REFUSES TO READ TOO MUCH INTO HIS AMAJIMBOS
You can understand why Crowie ignored such questions inside Lilongwe’s Bingu National Stadium press conference room during the competition from December 1 to 12 2022.
After all South Africa has over the years seen budding talent such as Jabu Pule Mahlangu and Junior Khanye threatening to become the next big thing, only to fizzle away.
Surely, few South African footballers of the current generation have matched the talent, consistency and discipline and maturity of past stars.
Bafana Bafana had greats such as Andre Arendse, John Shoes Moshoeu, Mark Fish, Lucas Radebe, Eric Tinkler, John Moeti, Sizwe Motaung, Helman Mkhalele, Linda Buthelezi, Phil Masinga and Doctor Khumalo.
The result is that South Africa has hardly exported players to the Serie A, Spanish La Liga, Bundesliga and the Premier League in the recent past.
Consequently, Bafana Bafana have become so bad they can’t qualify for AFCON, let alone the FIFA World Cup such as the one whose curtain went down on Sunday in Qatar.
No all is lost though because South Africa remains endowed with raw talent.
FLATTERING AMAJIMBOS BY COMPARING THEM TO BAFANA GREATS
Therefore, flattering the current Amajimbos squad as having the potential to reach for the stars would be a theoretical exercise worth gambling on.
Watching Amajimbos at the recent COSAFA Championship in Lilongwe that feeling of Bafana Bafana of old just comes back on its own.
The sight of Amajimbos first-choice goalkeeper Gennaro Johnson effortlessly takes back an attentive Bafana follower to the memory lane of Arendse.
Johnson from Cape Town Spurs is not flashy but effective and has the right physical attributes.
The young keeper just sticks to the basics. He does not dive for every shot for a perfect photograph opportunity like your Brian Baloyi or Itumeleng Khune.
Johnson just knows his positioning, has reflexes, commands box, organizes his wall and makes saves without throwing tantrums whatsoever.
BENJAMIN WALLIS AND INEVITABLE MARK FISH COMPARISONS
Further in front of Johnson, there is towering Benjamin Wallis. In Wallis one sees a reincarnation of Fish; a defender who loves the ball.
Building from the back to initiate attacks and even pop in the opponents’ box to sneak in a goal or two.
The Amajimbos skipper scored three goals in the championship, which also served as the 2023 Under-17 AFCON qualifier.
Amajimbos won silver and qualified for the Under-17 AFCON alongside champions Zambia.
Wallis is many defenders rolled into one. There is Radebe in the defender from the way he gestures this way and that way when organising his defence.
The SuperSport United reserve centre-back’s ability to mark space and anticipate danger borders on the insane for a 16-year-old.
The future for now looks bright.
Of course, a football career does not travel in a straight line like light. There are stumbling blocks such as loss of interest in football, indiscipline and injuries.
In the Bafana class of 1996, did you see Tinkler protecting his defence, keeping Bafana Bafana shape, fetching the ball from the back then feeding it to finer talents such as Shoes?
If you did then Amajimbos defensive midfielder Gabriel Amato does exactly that and tirelessly so.
Amato of Cape Town City has all those attributes of Tinkler in abundance.
He throws his mop of hair this way and that way to confuse markers behind him.
He possesses strength on the ball, ability to plunge into tackles, pass and athleticism.
Vincent Sithole is another gem the only difference is that he is too smart and calm on the ball.
Sithole keeps it simple and direct. He can play as a centre-back or a holding midfielder but he lacks the stamina and is not aggressive.
GEM CALLED SIYABONGA MABENA
Perhaps Amajimbos’ biggest discovery at the Malawi competition was diminutive striker Siyabonga Mabena.
The story about Mabena has been told many times with the School of Excellence prodigy linked with a near future move to Mamelodi Sundowns.
The 15-year-old scored nine goals to bag the Golden Boot Award at the U17 COSAFA Cup.
That is enough to tell his story. It is difficult likening him to the Bafana Bafana greats but he is a typical South African talent…diminutive, slippery, spring in his step, dribbler and scorer.
Over an above all the qualities these up-and-coming Amajimbos players have shown, there is one thing uniquely similar to the Bafana class of 1996—racial diversity in the squad composition.
Call ups to national football teams are about performance and not race whatever.
But again you cannot resist the temptation to see that this Amajimbos side, just like the Bafana of old, encapsulated the complete idea of a Rainbow Nation. From Cape Town to Polokwane.
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