Owen Da Gama, the national Under-23 football team coach, sounded like a motivational speaker in his first interaction with the media in Brazil.
He described their opening encounter with the Olympics hosts, next Thursday, as ‘scary’ but is confident they can get something out of it because ‘anything can happen’.
Da Gama draws inspiration from the Eight Nations Olympics qualifying tournament his team played in Senegal last year. There, like it will be the case in Brazil, they were also in the same group as the hosts.
“When we went to Senegal, they were the number one seeds,” Da Gama, speaking in Brasilia, said. “They had just won the All Africa Games. They beat us in the first match but we beat them in the third place play-off. We qualified for the Olympics and they didn't. So anything is possible in football. Looking back at the fact that South Africa beat Brazil in Sydney (in the 2000 Olympics), it’s possible that we can do it again. We want Brazil to scratch their heads about us and think what is it that we can do because we are more of a closed book to them than they are to us.”
Da Gama knows more about Brazil partly because of the friendly match they played against the Selecao in Maceio, back in March. And then there's the presence of Tyroane Sandows. The 21-year-old has been in Brazil for a decade and has faced many of the local-based players who make up the Brazilian squad in his life as Gremio’s midfielder.
Sandows was in familiar surroundings when he and the team held their first training session in Brasilia on Monday. Today Lebogang Mothiba will join them from France.
That will leave just Itumeleng Khune, Eric Mathoho and Keagan Dolly absent. Khune and Mathoho will travel to Brazil on Sunday after the Carling Black Label Cup while Dolly will meet up with the team after tonight’s CAF Champions League tie where his club Mamelodi Sundowns host Zamalek.
The South Africans will be based in Brasilia for their opening two games against Brazil and Denmark before they travel to Sao Paulo for their last group match against Iraq.
“The expectations of facing Brazil are scary because we know that they are a very good team,” Da Gama said. “But we believe we can do it, as long as you believe anything can happen in football. There is a lot of pressure on Brazil. After the (disappointments of the) World Cup and Copa America, there are a lot of expectations for them to do well in the Olympics. We don’t have the same pressure which bodes well for us.” - The Star