An Open letter to Jali and Serero

Dear Andile Jali and Thulani Serero.

South Africa is a country blessed with an abundance of raw and natural talent. But only a few manage to make it to the top and actually make an impact. And you boys are just two of the few lucky ones.

Some made it but somehow fame and fortune become too much for them to handle and they fell by the way side. Today they wish they can turn back the hands of time but unfortunately it’s too late for them. You boys may be wondering why am I writing this letter to you, well let me not keep you guessing.

This season you boys managed to capture the imagination of the South African football community and got a lot of tongues wagging. You have let us witness your God given talent and you are currently doing justice to it. We see you as the future of our football and you are giving us hope that there are better things to come from our football, that one day we are going to be able to compete and triumph over the best the world has to offer.

But what worries me boys is that you not the first ones to show so much promise. We’ve had players who were so skilful that even the great Ronaldinho had nothing on them when it came to natural ball skills, we’ve had players that were earmarked as future bafana captains. But where are they now? Some just vanished to thin air because of their undesirable behaviour, others are now playing in amateur leagues and bragging about their good old days when they are infact still under the age of 30.

A few others have been offered lifelines buy some good Samaritans but they will never again live up the promise they once shown. They will be remembered as the ones who almost made it, but I’m sure that you boys know that almost doesn’t count. Do you boys want to go that route as well?

I’m sure that’s not what you want but what you boys should know that football can be extremely cruel and your promising careers can end in a blink of an eye. Believe me I am not trying to scare you.

So in a nutshell this is what you should know: The game doesn’t owe you anything, but you owe it a lot of respect for putting you where you are today, so serve the game with respect and it will reward you in abundance. Don’t let the people who are calling you “ iskhokho” fool you, you are not yet the stars you can be so keep your heads and work hard. The fans that are adoring you like small gods today will destroy you tomorrow if you guys give them a raw deal, so know that not everyday is the same in football. The likes of Lucas Radebe didn’t make it by chance, it took tons of discipline and determination, so learn from them and you will never go wrong. An odd bafana call up doesn’t mean you have made it either, it just means that there are better things to come if you keep on behaving and working hard.

We want to see you guys playing in the best leagues in the world, for the best teams. But talent alone won’t take you there, it takes more than that. Boys don’t let yourselves and the passionate South African football community down. Don’t deny the world a chance to see your great talents.

If ever you get frustrated like some of the players I know and decide to take the easy way out (Going AWOL), I will hunt you down with sjamboks and knobkerries tow and send you running back to your clubs, and I’m not joking!

Yours in football.

Siphiwe Hlongwane