AFCON rookie ref Tom’s performance must inspire Bafana

SA whistle-man impresses on tournament debut and national team can gain confidence from his showing

Here is to hoping that Bafana Bafana watched Nigeria’s opening match of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) against Equatorial Guinea played in Abidjan on Sunday afternoon.

South Africa’s senior national team is out in the Ivory Coast for the 34th edition of the biennial, continental football showpiece looking to do the country proud by emulating the Class of 96 which won the title on home soil nearly 30 years ago.

Hugo Broos’ team are back at the finals after missing out on qualification for the previous edition and while the Belgian coach who won the AFCON with Cameroon in 2017 is confident they will do well, there’s very little about Bafana to get some of us sharing his sentiments.

After all, the team goes into the tournament on the back of that shock defeat at lowly Rwanda in the World Cup qualifiers, and the fact they could not beat Lesotho in their pre-tournament friendly just does not inspire confidence, does it?

Add to those results the lack of AFCON experience in a squad and you see just why I am not champing at the bit, excitedly anticipating a glorious Bafana campaign, right? Of the 23 players in the squad, only Rownen Williams, Themba Zwane and Percy Tau played at the 2019 tournament, with the rest being AFCON debutants.

And it is they I am hoping they watched Nigeria’s 1-1 draw with Equatorial Guinea because they’d have gained some confidence from the performance of their fellow countryman.

Referee Abongile Tom made such an impressive AFCON debut I am hoping his showing is a sign of things to come for South Africa at the biennial, continental showpiece.

The young whistle-man from the Mother City was in control of the match, being decisive and making the right calls yet not taking the limelight. While he has officiated in CAF club competitions, this was his first match at the continent’s premier tournament and he did not look the least overawed by the occasion or even the big stars around him.

Some would suggest Tom was helped by the fact the stadium was disappointingly empty as compared to the packed arena for the opener between the Ivory Coast and Guinea Bissau on Saturday night. Crowd or no crowd though, the 32-year-old was totally focused on proceedings and impressed with how he made it clear to the players just who the man in charge was – complementing his stern instructions with hand gestures that clearly said ‘I’m not taking your nonsense’.

When Jannick Buyla pulled Zaidu Sanusi by his pants and tried to argue against the free-kick, the Equatorial Guinea player was swiftly put in his place via a Tom tongue-lashing. Ditto for when Nigeria’s Alhasan Yusuf complained about a tackle against him, Tom told him in no uncertain terms that he – the referee – was the one making the decisions.

It was a tight match which saw The National Thunder holding on for dear life as Nigeria threw everything bar the proverbial kitchen sink at them to get the winner – the kind that would have tested many a rookie referee. And Tom passed with flying colours, all the bookings he made being spot on and his decisions all unquestionable.

It is the kind of performance one hopes will inspire Williams and his teammates to do their best at the tournament so as to make the nation proud.

Bafana Bafana kick-started their campaign towards African glory on Tuesday with a tough clash against a strong Mali side that they are yet to beat at the finals. Twice the two nations have met at AFCON and the Eagles have been victorious on those two. Back in 2002 host nation, Mali stopped a Carlos Queiroz-coached Bafana in their tracks with a 2-0 quarterfinals beating in Kayes. South Africa got the chance for revenge when it was their turn to host the tournament 11 years later, but Gordon Igesund’s men could only muster a 1-1 draw after extra time and lost 3-1 in the shoot-out from the penalty spot.

They will need to get a good result prior to building confidence prior to their other Group E clashes against Namibia and Tunisia. And Tom’s impressive AFCON performance should help in that regard.