Confed Cup nerves, but Bafana turned big corner by beating Poland

IT is now the final countdown to the Confederations Cup, which is just five days away. Bafana Bafana is definitely feeling the pressure from both the local fans and the rest of the globe.
There is no turning back now for coach Joel Santana, who raised a few eyebrows after announcing his final squad of 23 last week. However, one has to admire the Brazilian‘s consistency when it comes to discipline in making his selections. First was the omission of bad boy Benni McCarthy from the preliminary squad, then came the withdrawal of Mabhudi Khenyeza after he failed to report to camp on time, and finally the axe fell on Nasief Morris, also due to ill-discipline. A disciplined side is a winning one.
There are definitely more positives than negatives to be taken out of the weekend‘s friendly match against Poland. The victory, coupled with the fact that Bafana moved five places up in the world rankings to the 72nd spot, are sure to have boosted the side‘s confidence. The pressure now lies largely on Santana to provide the desired results and show some competitiveness in the “Festival of Champions”, or he may get the axe prior to the bigger tournament, the World Cup. Even former national captain Lucas Radebe has warned Santana that should he fail in the Confed, he could be on the first flight out back to Rio de Janeiro.
Many of the Bafana fans have now decided that they have done enough criticising and it is now time to support the national coach and the squad.
The question is, for how long?
The opening game on Sunday against little-known Iraq will undoubtedly set the tone for the side during the tournament.
All the fans have their fingers crossed that the injuries to Teko Modise and Steven Pienaar, which are said to be minor, will not come back to haunt them during the very important competition. They are the charges who largely have the hopes of the nation in flying the South African flag high against the various continental champions in the competition. More importantly, success will come from collective teamwork, as displayed against Poland.