Constant management changes; a bewildering stream of new players; the introduction of Brazilian coaching techniques; and most recently the recall – after a long absence – of Benni McCarthy, the talismanic but controversial UK-based striker: nothing, it seems, can halt the steady decline of Bafana Bafana (the boys, the boys).
After a bright beginning to the post-apartheid era, South Africa’s footballers have failed to make an impression on the world stage, raising fears that they will struggle to qualify for the final stages of next year’s competition and lower the domestic popularity of the event.
