Bafana have turned the corner - Barker

By Ed Aarons

Back in September it all looked a lost cause. Out of the African Nations Cup, ranked at their lowest since 1994 and with a manager who couldn't even speak English, the chances of South Africa avoiding the embarrassment of becoming the first host nation to be knocked out in the group stage of the World Cup looked about as likely as Arsene Wenger admitting he should not have sold Mathieu Flamini.

What a difference three months makes.

Since their 1-0 defeat against Nigeria that condemned Bafana Bafana to miss out on the 2010 African Nations Cup in Angola, Brazilian manager Joel Santana has presided over four successive victories.

That culminated in a thrilling 3-2 win over Cameroon, albeit without talisman Samuel Eto'o, a result that gave fans across the country renewed hope for the World Cup.

Former manager Clive Barker was one of Santana's main critics when he was appointed to succeed compatriot Carlos Alberto Parreira back in May.

Having seen Bafana overcome Cameroon, though, the man who led South Africa to African Nations Cup triumph on home soil in 1996 is optimistic the team will put on a good show in two years' time.

"The team know they have to deliver and I have the dream that we can play in the World Cup Final," said Barker.

"At the moment we have a lot of ability in the national squad and, hopefully, achieving four straight wins will make them believe in themselves. Santana has got some consistency in his selection and that is benefiting the players."

He added: "They've put together a good set of results and look like they've turned the corner.

"By the time the World Cup comes around, we will have a team capable of doing very well and may surprise a few people."

If the performance against Cameroon is anything to go by, Barker may have a point.

Midfielder Teko Modise was the star of the show, scoring two goals before being denied a hat-trick after missing a late penalty. The Orlando Pirates player has attracted plenty of attention from Europe already but is yet to take the plunge to join the likes of Blackburn duo Benni McCarthy and Aaron Mokoena in plying their trade outside South Africa.

"Teko could be one of the biggest stars of the tournament," said Barker.

"The advantage he has as a midfielder is his ability to score goals - the penalty miss was one of those things but anyone who comes close to scoring an international hat-trick is a top-class player.

"He should get better and better in the next 18 months as he reaches his peak.

"I've always said that the best years of a footballer in South Africa are between 28 and 34 so it could be very exciting to see how he develops in the run-up to the World Cup. I've no doubt that the World Cup team will be built around him."

That decision will come down to Santana, who made his name as a defensive-minded manager in his native country.

He was drafted in to take over from Parreira after the 1994 World Cup-winning coach resigned to take care of his sick wife.

The appointment was the subject of widespread debate, especially given the fact that the new manager did not speak a word of English.

"It's an emotional game so if you want to relay a message to your players, sometimes you need to be able to communicate well with them," said Barker.

"I would never criticise the coach himself but I was critical of the fact that Safa could have got a similar type of coach who speaks English and make the job so much easier.

"I think Santana's a quality coach - you need to be to have survived in Brazil for so long. It's taken him time to settle in but now he seems to be having an effect on the players."

As for the tournament itself, it seems there is no turning back for Fifa now. Concerns over whether the stadiums will be ready in time have lifted

Barker is convinced that all such worries will be forgotten once the tournament gets under way.

"I think it has the potential to be the greatest World Cup of all time," he said.

"You can see all the work that has been put into making the stadiums look first-rate, something that will help take our football to another level in the future.

"We had huge success with the rugby and the cricket so I don't know why people have any doubt about everything being ready."

He added: "People haven't quite got to grips with what it will be like but with the Confederations Cup draw already done, I think the excitement will really start to build now."

Having been drawn in the same group as Iraq, New Zealand and Euro 2008 winners Spain, there is every chance that South Africa will progress to the later stages of the tournament.

Held in four cities next June, the Confederations Cup will act as a dress rehearsal for the real thing a year later, although Barker does not think it will make up for the disappointment of failing to make the African Nations Cup Finals.

He said: "I'm happy that we're involved but it's a poor sister to the African Nations.

"It's a real shame that we didn't make it because we would have known exactly what was needed before the World Cup but it's not to be.

"The good thing is that we will play on home ground against top-class opposition and it will be a good forerunner to 2010.

"All the teams will be looking to do well with the World Cup only a year away so it should be very interesting."

Time will tell whether South Africa can make the rest of the world stand up and take notice.

• This article was originally published on page 22 of The Star on December 23, 2008