Mninawa Ntloko
11 November 2009
Johannesburg — AFTER courting controversy for years during his career with the national team, the enfant terrible of South African soccer -- Benni McCarthy -- yesterday surprisingly apologised to the nation for the litany of misdemeanours that had created a love-hate relationship with officials, the local media and fans.
At an informal briefing in Johannesburg McCarthy said he regretted many of his controversial decisions and statements he had made about the South African Football Association (Safa) over the years and pleaded with the nation to forgive him. "I was young, I was dumb and I was a bit of a loose cannon," the Blackburn Rovers striker said.
"I am man enough to say I was in the wrong and I am willing to apologise to (former Safa vice-president) Mubarak Mohammed, Safa, the media and to everyone.
"I am older now and I hold no grudges. Let us start afresh and begin on a new slate."
McCarthy has never been afraid to speak his mind and once told the nation he would never play for Bafana again until Mohammed apologised for labelling him the instigator of the pay dispute that rocked the national team during the 2006 African Nations Cup in Egypt.
He said yesterday he wanted to apologise to Mohammed and concentrate on reclaiming his place in the national team after he was dumped from the squad by former coach Joel Santana in March.
Mohammed said yesterday it would be unfair for him to comment on McCarthy as he was no longer Safa vice-president after losing his seat during the Safa presidential elections in September.
McCarthy said he was hurt when Santana dropped him from the national team and he was forced to watch the Confederations Cup on television in June.
"I put up a brave face but when I was on my own at home, it would hit me and it hurt. It was not nice.
"I was really heartbroken to miss out on the Confederations Cup, a tournament that was played in my home country. It hurt."
Santana dumped McCarthy from the squad after he openly defied his call-up letter for friendlies against Norway and Portugal in March, claiming he was injured. Blackburn doctors said there was nothing wrong with him, but he insisted that his hamstring was injured.
McCarthy admitted yesterday that he could have played in the matches but he insisted that he would have worsened the injury.
"The coach (Santana) told me that he wanted us to talk after those matches but he never came back to me again. I do not know what happened behind the scenes, because the next thing I know I was out of the Confederations Cup."
McCarthy said he hoped to be given a run during the friendly against Japan in Port Elizabeth on Saturday and prove that despite his 32 years, he still has what it takes.
"I think that I can still do it for Bafana Bafana because I do it every single day at training at Blackburn Rovers at the highest level.
"My legs might not be as quick as before, but I am the type of player who only needs one chance to score a goal even after not touching the ball for 90 minutes.
"I still have a lot of goals in me and that is what I bring to the table," McCarthy said.
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