Ten years ago shortly after his appointment as South Africa's soccer coach, current Portugal manager Carlos Queiroz presented Safa with a comprehensive 10-year plan that was designed to make Bafana Bafana a competitive unit for the 2010 World Cup.

But judging on what Queiroz saw during Bafana's 2-0 defeat against his present team in Lausanne on Tuesday, the Bafana plan has still to get off the ground.

This was the telling, yet sympathetic assessment of the seasoned former Real Madrid manager and assistant Manchester United manager over what he believes have largely been 10 years of wasted opportunity.

"The individual, untapped talent in South African soccer remains in abundance on the evidence of what I saw in Lausanne," said the urbane Portuguese manager.

"But soccer is not an individual sport like golf or tennis and it is the talent to combine as a unit as an attacking and defensive entity that counts - and in this respect the shortcomings were still glaringly apparent."

Queiroz said his experience of South African soccer made it relatively simple to devise an effective strategy for the Bafana game.

"In the first instance when you play against a South African team you have to keep the ball away from them," said the Portuguese manager, "because their individual, generally unpredictable skills are always capable of causing havoc.

"Secondly when Bafana do gain possesion," added Queiroz, "it is essential to continually harrass players who are used to having a lot more time to make their moves and perform their tricks in South African domestic soccer.

"Once frustrated in this manner," added the Portuguese manager.

No plan B

"Bafana still do not have a B-plan to fall back on and that is exactly what happened in Lausanne when most of the team's rapport disintegrated after we scored an early goal and they played like 11 individuals."

For all this, Queiroz says there is time for urgent and concise, but realistic action before the 2010 World Cup to improve matters.

" But", he added, " I would say it is advisable, indeed essential, to play as many games as possible against teams of the calibre of 10th-ranked Portugal and others who are rated among the top 30 combinations in the world.

"Looking good against mediocre opponents only tends to blind one to the real problems and can do more harm than good at times."

Queiroz also suggested the Bafana technical staff pay little attention to what he termed 'the blah blah boys' in the media and elsewhere who expound a lot of hot air - often with malicious intent - and know little about the subject they are talking about.

He had no connection before Tuesday's game with current Bafana coach Joel Santana and says he only knows him from what he has read about his career in Brazilian club soccer - "a very tough environment for any coach to learn his trade."

As for Portugal, Queiroz says he still believes his team can recover from a nightmarish start to next year's World Cup qualifying campaign and enable him to return to South Africa where he conjures up many happy memories - in spite of his expectations for Bafana being cut short at the roots.

"Portugal has the talent," says Queiroz, "and I believe the heart and resolve as well to make it to the World Cup."

Sapa

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