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Stage set for Afro-Asian soccer play-off

Asian Cup winners Saudi Arabia will finally face off against the 1996 African Cup of Nations champions South Africa in the long-awaited Afro-Asian Nations Cup soccer.

Saudi will travel to South Africa for the first leg on September 19 in Cape Town and then host the return match on September 30 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

These teams, who both won their titles almost three years ago, have finally found time to play-off for the Intercontinental championship that has been delayed since 1997. But since then things have changed for both nations, especially the Saudis.

Since winning the Asian Cup, when they defeated the United Arab Emirates in the final 1996, the Saudi national team has gone through several coaches. Eduardo Vingada, the man who guided the team to victory in the UAE, was replaced by Otto Pfister during the qualifying tournament for last year's World Cup.

Pfister took the team through to their second consecutive World Cup finals, only to be replaced by Brazilian Carlos Alberto Parreira. However, his reign was cut short controversially after the Saudis were trounced 4-0 by the hosts France.

Coach number four was Mohammad Al Kharashi, who filled in following Parreira's sacking when, ironically, the Saudis played South Africa in their final World Cup match, the game ending in a 2-2 draw.

Kharashi's reign lasted one match before the Saudis brought Pfister back into the national team fold, only to sack him after losing the Gulf Cup to Kuwait last November. It was to Kuwait that the Saudis turned for their next, and newest, coach. Milan Macala, the man who guided Kuwait to two Gulf Cups, the final of the Asian Games and the semi-finals of both the Asian Cup and Arab Cup, was lured away from their Gulf rivals when his contract expired at the end of February.

Macala has already made sweeping changes. Out have gone the likes of Youssef Al Thuniyan, Sami Al Jaber, Fahd Mahalel, Khalid Al Temawi and Khalid Musaad - the old guards, the 'Golden Team' as they called themselves, being virtually discarded for a new breed of younger Saudi footballers.

For the recent FIFA Confederations Cup, Macala's squad still contained the old guard at the back, the new coach recognising the team's previous defensive record. But he has rung the changes in midfield and attack. Nawaf Al Temayat of Al Hilal has come into the side after impressing at club level, while the likes of Ibrahim Mater and Haza Idris are increasingly coming to the fore.

Whether they have what it takes to overcome South Africa remains to be seen. The last time the two teams met, in France, South Africa dominated the match, with Saun Bartlett in particular causing the Saudis all sorts of problems.

That day, the Saudi goals came from old guards - Al Jaber and Al Thuniyan both converting from the penalty spot. Macala's main aim is to give the team back some attacking drive while not compromising their defensive solidity. With next year's Asian Cup in sight, the challenge of the Afro-Asian Nations Cup will give the Saudis the chance to see how far they still have to go.