Where
have you seen parents, by virtue of being in the School Governing Body, direct
the school curriculum and approve syllabus, decide on the duration of lessons,
thus engaging in the operational processes of the education of their kids,
hiring friends, relatives and those close to them to teach at the same school
and have quality education at the end of the process?
The
Bafana Bafana squad for the game against Senegal has been announced and a lot
has already been said about that team, but I choose not to go the same route. I
must say, it is very interesting and also nauseating to hear that the
“important” people are worried about the state of our senior national team
(Bafana Bafana). Where were they all along, to be precise, since 1992?
Interesting,
because why now? Our senior national team, like all others, has proved over and
over again that they were nowhere near the minimum standards in the continent,
and by logic in the world football. Where were all these people, when we
struggled in the early 90’s, getting hammered left right and center? Did we
think that by winning the AFCON 96 (which we hosted), by bombing out of the
first round at the FIFA World Cups in 1998 and 2002, by earning the right to
host the same tournament in 2010, we were moving forward?
Interesting,
also that the writing was always on the wall. Those who read the script and
read it loud, were and are still seen and labeled as unpatriotic, as jealous,
as too critical, skeptical, and are ignored. Given where we are today, who is
unpatriotic? Interesting that when
people get most the votes in the elections from 1992 to date, they all of a
sudden become knowledgeable on all matters including Technical, Youth
Development, (and all other basic elements of Football Development and Growth),
which has taken others years of study, trial and error, experience, proven
successes, and are still learning and yet treated with contempt in our (local)
game.
Where
have you seen parents, by virtue of being in the Governing Body (School
Committee for those of my age and above), direct the school curriculum and
approve syllabus, decide on the duration of lessons, thus engaging in the
operational processes of the education of their kids, hiring friends, relatives
and those close to them to teach at the same school and have quality education
at the end of the process? This is our story since readmission into the FIFA
Family, and maybe even before that. Ever
heard of Dreaming of Success!
Interesting
that while the football leadership at different levels has been changing faces
and names, nothing has really changed.
Money,
yes. Stadia, yes. Television, yes. Media and Publicity, maybe yes. Regrettably,
at the Football Level where things needed to change and where it matters most,
Nothing Has Changed. Even that is generous. The fact is we are worse off now
than before we became FIFA members. Then, we could all mention the same names
of players that were outstanding in each and every club team. Can the same
happen now? In fact, do we have those players in the first place?
Nauseating
that we do not seem realize that Bafana Bafana is the end-product and
therefore, cannot be fixed. If you know that, you will never go wrong. If you
look bad on the mirror, the bad thing you can do is to blame the mirror or even
worse to try and fix it? It is not broken; you need to fix your face.
In
our Football we either try to fix the mirror or (and often) move away from the
mirror and think that our face is OK now that we cannot see it. But behold, all
others still see our face. Ask all Nations that were at the AFCON tournaments
since 1998, Clubs that have graced the FIFA Club Championship since its
inception, etc.
Even
Prof. Carlos Alberto Parreira, who did the unthinkable prior to the FIFA World
Cup (by taking the team to 3 long camps-Brazil, Germany & SA), could not
fix Bafana Bafana. Bafana Bafana cannot be fixed, not by Parreira, not by Joel
Santana, not by Stuart Baxter, not by Ted Dumitru, not by Carlos Quiroz, not by
Phillip Troussier and not by anyone.
Their
problem is a factory fault. Regrettably, they cannot be taken back to the
factory as they are people and have outgrown the development phase. With all those
preparations (under Parreira), we still bombed out in the First Round playing
at Home. Let’s hope and pray that someone else does the same, otherwise we will
remain in the Guinness Book of Records (and FIFA) for a long time to come.
Nauseating
because when the leaves of a tree start to turn brown and wither, you cannot do
anything on them. That is Bafana Bafana. You need to fix the plant, the roots
and the ground.
Nauseating
because we do not have a good ground for success at all domestic levels, hence
our consistent failure at International Level, both at Club and National Team
level. We have failed on all fronts to compete with the best.
Nauseating
that while no systematic youth development was implemented prior to 1992, there
was a shared concept of play amongst most club teams (that could also explain
the high attendance at the stadia then). The 1996 generation seems to have been
the lucky ones and as it can be proved now, the last one too.
This
generation enjoyed the game and had very little foreign influence in them hence
even those who went abroad were successful because they brought with them
something foreign, a kind of endangered skills on those Clubs and Leagues. They
at least, had that natural flair, creativity and originality in their game make-up.
Siyabonga Nomvethe is one of the very few left still flying the Flag. Ask any
player/coach of the opposition.
Nauseating
that those, who have the authority to change things (by virtue of their
placements), are doing their best to remain blind to the realities facing us
for almost two decades now. This they do in spite of all ammunition that they
have been provided with over the years by local patriots, but have at different
times that suite them, decided to invite people from elsewhere to tell them
what they already know from locals. It would seem it sounds nice when it is
said by outsiders, but nothing is done still. It could be that it is nice and
gives a feeling of satisfaction to listen to foreign voices, and yet DO nothing
afterwards.
It
happened more than twice with Bafana Bafana that after qualification, a change
in the team technical staff is effected. It was Déjà vu when we learnt that the
same has happened with Banyana Banyana, after qualifying for the Olympics. Ever
heard of changing things by keeping to the same! The same outcome, as before,
can be expected.
Regrettably,
even leaders at the highest level in our country find humour in the demise of
our Bafana Bafana (Jacob Zuma in his State of the Nation Address). It was very
unfortunate that one of our national asserts (like all other national teams),
Bafana Bafana, just like our national flag, national anthem, national symbols,
could be laughed at that way. Wherever these national teams play, they carry
these national symbols on behalf of all of us.
SAFA
has always had all the solutions with them from many a concerned South African.
Mentioning them here, would be a repetition to those who read. After all, the
secret is wide open for those who want the solution. To those, who choose to ignore
it, it has never existed. To their credit, they have mastered this skill.
Any
house that will survive different seasons, is build on good ground, with a
solid foundation, strong walls and a fitting roof. When there is a crack, an
intelligent person will trace the cause and fix the root cause. But any other
will paint over the crack and believe that it is fixed. You always have a
choice.
By Zipho Dlangalala
