At the 2006 African Nations Cup in Egypt, South Africa failed to score a goal. They were beaten, in succession, by Guinea, Tunisia, and Zambia before crashing out of the tournament at the group stage. In 2004, they opened brightly with a 2-0 win over Benin before being thrashed by Nigeria and drawing Morocco. Again, they bowed out ahead of the knock-out round.

    South Africa’s record at the continental competition follows an interesting pattern. After the Confederation of African Football’s (CAF) Apartheid ban was lifted in 1992, Bafana Bafana were awarded the 1996 finals. They won; and they beat the likes of Cameroon, Ghana, and Tunisia along the way. The future looked bright for the country’s mixed-race football program. After all, considering that the failures to qualify for the 1994 tournament and 1994 World Cup were mostly due to the transition from segregated football associations to the new South African Football Association, the nation emerged victorious from the first competition it had entered with any amount of ambition.

    At the 1998 African Nations Cup in Burkina Faso, South Africa advanced to the Final again. This time, however, they were defeated by Egypt in Ouagadougou. Two years later, they came third. In 2002, they were defeated by Mali in the quarterfinals. And, of course, 2004’s dismal showing was followed by the debacle of 2006. Since lifting the trophy in 1996, it’s been a decidedly downward trend.

    This winter’s installment of the competition brings no guarantees for Bafana Bafana. They qualified for the Ghana finals by finishing second in Group 11. And to get out of their bracket in Tamale, they will have to perform better than at least two of Tunisia, Senegal, and Angola. Hardly an easy ask. Tunisia won the tournament in 2004 and both Senegal and Angola have represented Africa in recent World Cups.

    More than anything else, South Africa will be hoping to use the 2008 African Nations Cup as a building-block towards competitiveness at the 2010 World Cup. To that end, they are already on the right track. In hiring Carlos Alberto Parreira to manage the squad, the South African Football Association has ensured that they will get maximum output from the players. After all, Parreira’s CV includes a World Cup championship with Brazil in 1994.

    His lineup in Ghana will be somewhat less star-studded. Top goalscorer Benni McCarthy will not be in the team; and just eight of the included players currently play their football in Europe.

    Sibusiso Zuma is one. The 32-year-old Arminia Bielefeld striker led his team in scoring during the qualifying campaign with four goals. Katlego Mphela will also be counted upon to produce offensively. Nicknamed “Killer” in reference to his ice-cold finishing ability, Mphela has scored three-goals in eight-appearances for his country. Excellent Walaza is also likely to get a look. The 20-year-old Orlando Pirates forward is considered one of the top prospects in South African football.

    A trio of European-based players will form most of Perreira’s midfield corps. Steven Pienaar is the most high-profile of the lot. Although, unfortunately, his name has been more associated with Everton manager David Moyes’ stubbornness in releasing him to his national side than anything he has accomplished at Goodison Park. That said, the 25-year-old had already played five seasons at Ajax before making the move to English football.

    Pienaar will be joined by Club Brugge’s Elrio van Heerden and Djurgarden’s Lance Davids. Van Heerden broke through the ranks in FC Copenhagen’s title-winning side of 2004 before making the move to Belgium. He has scored twice in 19-caps. Davids, meanwhile, played three seasons at 1860 Munich before a transfer to Sweden. He has scored six-goals in 39-matches for Djurgardens.

    In defense, Aaron Mokoena will be familiar to most football observers. The 27-year-old currently represents Blackburn Rovers and has also enjoyed stints at both Bayer Leverkusen and Ajax. Under Rovers manager Mark Hughes, he has also played as a replacement for Robbie Savage in midfield.

    Nasief Morris will be a vital cog in the goal-prevention scheme as well. The 26-year-old defender was part of Panathinaikos’ double-winning season in 2004. Mamelodi Sundowns’ defender Benson Mhlongo will also be part of the starting-XI. Bryce Moon, too, may get a look. The 21-year-old right-back has yet to earn a senior cap; but he is well-known in South African football for his incredible pace down the flanks.

Key players: Sibusiso Zuma (FW, Arminia Bielefeld); Steven Pienaar (MF, Everton); Aaron Mokoena (D, Everton

Of the four teams in Group D, Tunisia is easily the most consistent in international football. Les Aigles de Carthage have advanced out of the group stage at the African Nations Cup in five of the past six installments and have qualified for three of the past four World Cups. Their recent success was capped with a continental triumph on home soil in 2004.

    Francileudo Santos led the team in scoring on that occasion. Appropriate, really, considering that the Brazilian-born Santos has been Tunisia’s top goalscorer since being first capped in 2004. In that span, he has scored 20-goals in 34-matches. The 28-year-old has also scored 4-goals in 12-matches for FC Zurich this season.

    Santos’ partner in crime will be Issam Jemaa. The 23-year-old has been part of Caen’s resurgence in Ligue 1 this term. And despite missing the 2006 World Cup through injury, he has tallied 9-goals in 21 international matches.

    Manager Henri Michel will also be tempted to pair Yassine Chikhaoui with Santos. Just 21-years-old, Chikhaoui already plays with Santos at Zurich and has bagged 7-goals in 16 domestic appearances. He can also line up as an attacking midfielder.