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That’s today's
everybody's question.
To
start with, it should unreservedly accepted that Danny Jordaan's credentials
and visionary spirit are outstanding. He has the kind of leadership personality
which attracts recognition both locally and internationally and that could be a
significant advantage when faced with extremely difficult challenges of
reviving South African football.
I
assume that Jordaan's constant exposure to various aspects of international
football administration has been an invaluable source of learning on how
success is achieved and sustained in football. What the previous SAFA
leadership did not bothered to acknowledge was the key - world-wide - reason
for football administrations' failures, which is: DISMAL PERFORMANCES IN INTERNATIONAL COMPETITIONS.
In
all such cases football leaders become victims of their own ignorance by
denying recognition and implementation to those FUNDAMENTAL PREREQUISITES responsible for success in international
football: TECHNICAL EXPERTISE, YOUTH
DEVELOPMENT AND RELEVANT COMPETITIONS (other secondary factors are important
too).
The
last time when the conditions for proper development and performance
improvement were respected at SAFA was in 1995/6 when Stix Morewa supported our
recommendation to use INDIGENOUS
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE in establishing youth projects (FIFA rated them as
'the best concept/methodology in the world' at that time) and also in
formulating technical solutions for ALL national
teams (1996 AFCON success was part of that initiative).
Then
SAFA' self-destructive policies that followed after 1996, mainly the complete
disregard of achievements and positives of 1995/6 technical programs, have been
the cause of crises and continuous decline. It is baffling that in recent years
the leadership of SAFA has been pursuing the irrational plan of importing coaching
knowledge, youth development methodologies and football related scientific data
from countries of completely contrasting game environment, culture and social
conditions.
Those
artificial solutions are to a large extent the reason why now Danny Jordaan has
to SAVE SAFA. It was last year in the
Technical Committee (SAFA) when clear evidence was produced concluding that "YOUTH DEVELOPMENT CONCEPTS, METHODS
of TRAINING and GAME MENTALITIES' are
only SUCCESSFUL IN THOSE RESPECTIVE
CULTURES and ENVIRONMENTS THAT
PRODUCED THEM. CONTRASTING
BIO-CULTURAL, SOCIAL, CLIMATIC AND NUTRITIONAL FACTORS CAN NULIFY EVEN THOSE
CONCEPTS, METHODS OR PERFORMANCE MENTALITIES THAT ARE REGARDED AS BEING THE
BEST IN THE WORLD". It's obvious that this vital evidence is still to
be accepted at SAFA.
I
have the feeling that Danny Jordaan will initiate radical changes as he is
fully aware that there is no other alternative. All the best, Danny!
