Every Monday night South Africa's equivalent of the BBC airs a show called Coca-Cola SoccerZone. Unlike his counterparts at the BBC, the presenter, Walter Mokoena, can be spiky and controversial. These days, he's not just commenting on the news, he's making it.

After South Africa's 2-0 defeat by Spain on Saturday, Mokoena opined that Joel Santana, the team's Brazilian coach, and Aaron Mokoena, the captain and former Blackburn Rovers midfield player, who is no relation, needed to be “axed”.

Cue a general outcry and accusations in one newspaper of a “lack of patriotism”. The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) suspended Mokoena until further notice and the controversy has rolled on.

While disagreeing with his views, my initial reaction was to lambast the SABC. After all, calling for the sacking of a manager is not that unusual.

But then I read that Mokoena was suspended last year after saying on air that Garrincha, the legendary Brazil winger, had lost his virginity to a goat. And I couldn't help but wonder: should a guy with previous like that be held to a higher standard or does he have the same right to air his opinion as anyone else?

Bafana Bafana just not that good

The going has been grim for South Africa. It's not so much that they've played badly - it's that they're just not that good.

Next summer South Africa will probably become the weakest side to have hosted a World Cup. And that's a shame. Because this country has a rich footballing tradition - a few years ago they could call upon the likes of Lucas Radebe, Quinton Fortune, Mark Fish and Benni McCarthy in his prime.

Not even upsetting Brazil tonight would change the basic fact that Bafana Bafana would have been much better equipped for a World Cup in South Africa four or even eight years ago.

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