South Africa Coach to select 'strongest squad' for Ghana

Asked at his first media briefing last week whether he would be fielding overseas-based players in next month's spicy clash against Africa's current "flavour of the month" team, Ghana, new Bafana Bafana coach Pitso Mosimane was evasive while pointing out he had only been in the job a couple of days and needed time to sort out his options.

By yesterday, however, Mosimane had seemingly evaluated the situation clearly enough while revealing that he would be choosing what he deemed was his strongest line-up against the World Cup quarter-finalists - "and that includes players from South Africa, overseas and anywhere else where I can find them."

Mosimane said Bafana's prime objective at this stage was to build on the momentum of the World Cup by coming up with a favourable result against the redoubtable Black Stars - because what happens in the the game at Soccer City on August 7 will have a bearing on what we aim to achieve in the future and what strategy we will employ towards this end."

It can be assumed, therefore, that the majority, if not the entire squad to face the team that is ranked second in Africa behind Egypt and 23rd in the world will emerge from members of Bafana's World Cup contingent.

"But," Mosimane was quick to point out, "there might be some players who have enjoyed a virtual holiday since the World Cup and I will be checking out all the candidates to determine who is in the right physical condition to face opponents of Ghana's calibre."

And Mosimane said his previously declared objective to unearth budding new talent for the coming African Nations and World Cup tournaments and qualifiers remained unaffected.

"But that is then," he added, "and now is now and what we need more than anything right now is a good result against Ghana."

Meanwhile, Black Stars midfield icon, Michael Essien, who missed the entire World Cup campaign because of injury is back in action and was deemed fit enough to play for Chelsea in a warm-up game before the start of the English Premier League season.

Will Ghana, in the circumstances, consider it advisable to bring one of Africa's top players to South Africa on this occasion after his heartbreaking, enforced absence from making the trip to the South Africa for the World Cup? -