Clive Barker is a bit more laid back these days than he used to be. Gone are the days of “The Dog” going on his trademark celebration runs, with his arms stretched out beside him like the wings of a plane.
These days his celebrations, as well as rants on the side of the field, are more along the lines of a smile and handshake when he is happy and a shake of the head when he gets upset.
However, when you ask him about Bafana Bafana’s infamous World Cup qualifier against the Congo in Point Noire in 1997, he answers with a clenched fist and a lot of emotion in his voice.
Barker’s Bafana lost that match 2-0 after being threatened with guns before a practice session, while the game itself was a bruising battle, as the hosts gave the South Africans a proper working over. The famous sight of Mark Fish’s bloody face after sustaining a massive gash on his head is etched in his memory forever.
“That was a frightening match, and that was when they pulled the press and the TV boys off the roof. They wouldn’t even allow us to go in to the dressing room,” Barker said.
“The Sunday (match day), I should have had the balls to say we are getting back on the plane, we are not playing here. But then again you must think what could have happened with the crowd and inside the ground.
Almost 17 years later, the current crop of Bafana players head to the oil-rich Congolese coastal city to take on the Red Devils in a massive 2015 African Cup of Nations qualifier.
The match will have a lot at stake, much like the 1997 clash, as Congo lead Group A with six points after victories over Nigeria away and Sudan in their own backyard.
Bafana are second in the group with four points. But they will take a massive step towards qualifying for next year’s continental tournament in Morocco if they can cause an upset in the Congo.
Barker, though, doesn’t expect Bafana to have the same problems on and off the field in Congo almost two decades after his team’s battle. But he still expecting a physical battle against the a Congolese team that overpowered Nigeria in their opening match.
“If I were them, I would take hard hats and gum guards!”
But Barker thinks that Mashaba’s youngsters can stand up to the physicality of the Congolese after their impressive performance in difficult conditions in the heat of Sudan, and then standing their ground against the big Nigerians at Cape Town Stadium.
Most of all, though, the Afcon-winning coach likes Mashaba’s consistency in selection after he kept faith in his youngsters for the next two matches against Congo – the second clash is next Wednesday in Polokwane.
“The squad Shakes brings to the party is the right one, because there is a lot of consistency with the younger players. The younger players need to be shown that the coach trusts them and backs them to be successful,” Barker said.
“He brought Benni McCarthy and Quinton Fortune through, and he has done really well with young players. Generally Shakes has that ability to turn an average player into a good player. ” - The Mercury