After
the foolish behaviour from the suits at Naturena, I decided to write a poem (no
I am not a poet nor am I a rapper). It was meant to be funny and look at the
situation with humour but well, I failed at that, dismally in fact. Read it,
read in between the lines, laugh at my terrible attempt at rhyming but see the
take note of the deeper issue in South African soccer.
Before
you start reading (and maybe laughing), here is my little disclaimer of sorts: I am responsible for what I say, not
what you understand.
This poem here will
be dedicated to K.C.F.B, yes I said F.B.,
Because it is no
longer a football club, but a business for the family.
From 1970 to
currently, Kaizer you built up massive support,
From starting in the
dusty Soweto streets, to becoming the biggest brand in SA sport,
You, Kaizer, are
responsible for that.
The club has
attracted the likes of Mark Williams, Radebe, Neil Tovey and Jairzinho,
Maponyane, Teenage,
Computer Lamola, McGregor and 16V Khumalo.
Dumitru, Dolezar,
Troussier and Jeff Butler have been our winning coaches,
And who can forget
how Mbesuma and Madida, the great goal poachers.
You, Kaizer, are
responsible for that.
In the new
millennium, league titles have dried up,
We the fans have
always been loyal, despite some administrative and executive cock-ups.
Bobby Motaung even
had the nerve to state that he is accountable to nobody but the family,
Sadly, it is clear
that there exists “Kaizer’s family” instead of the oft-stated “Chiefs family”.
You, Kaizer, are
responsible for that.
We no longer wait for
communication from the board, as we will be given lame excuses,
We give time, money
and support, but the clubs attitude reveals that the fans are seen as useless.
It is clear you don’t
need membership fees and gate revenues, from the fans that were there through
thick and thin,
Because you feel you
can talk to us like fools, the clubs view is: unlike corporate sponsorship, the
fans are worth nothing.
You, Kaizer are
responsible for that.
You publish zero
financial statements, yet the masses have made you a small fortune. That’s not
good.
So, I’m changing
attitude, I’ll rather support a smaller team where I might be valued.
I’m done with this
family and I am “serving my divorce papers”.
This is indeed the
final goodbye and not “see you later”.
You, Kaizer, are
responsible for that.
After
reading that, read it again. Feel free to comment, email me or chat/debate on
twitter. Be aware that I have read articles like this one (http://goo.gl/CrBnX) here
stating that Kaizer Motaung does appreciate the fans but I feel this lame
explanation for firing Vladimir Vermezovic was an insult to my intelligence and
that of other football supporters.
I
am not saying that this is enough to boycott a team and to stop supporting a team
but I will understand supporters who have decided to o that. Fans in South
Africa should hold their clubs to higher standards. Like I mentioned, in South Africa it is no
even common practice to publish financial statements for each club.
Yet,
the same clubs want individual to spend their hard-earned money to come to the
stadium and buy their replica shirts as well. That is not how a relationship
works. The numbers of bums on seats is dwindling, and if the suits in SA
football do not realise this early enough, SA football could end up attracting
very little interest from anyone.
Even
the Soweto Derby could end up becoming just another event on the sports
calendar. No fans, equal no sponsorship, equals no money, equals no club. The
fans are the club. It is as simple as that. Those enjoying the benefits of
massive sponsorship right now should not forget the importance of the fans and
supporters - the lifeblood of the game.
For
some of you who prefer to focus on the fact that I will now on be supporting a
smaller team - that's a decision that has been coming for while. Maybe Chiefs
action this week was just the final push. I think most of us can agree that we
supported Chiefs, Pirates or Sundowns from childhood simply because most people
in our communities supported one of them. It was the "cool" thing to
do. Socially acceptable. So, from childhood you were loyal to one of the Big 3
and that's just the way it always has been. However, I have grown.
I
do not see why I should stick to that original team that I supported - I did not have my own
logical reason to start supporting them in the first place. I just have the
urge to support one of the other teams who play soccer of an equal or sometimes
better quality.
I
guess a small part of the reason for this "floor crossing" is just
because I want to be different. Instead of supporting teams that have millions
of glory-hunters as "supporters", I don't mind supporting one where
"atmosphere" is not a word you associate with their home
stadium. As a an Arenal fan, it is
pretty obvious I am not a supporter for the trophies(seven years, I know!).
I
supported Arsenal because of their style of play under Arsene Wenger, (after a
brief glory hunting experience with Chelsea). I also want to support a local
team also based on other factors besides winning, such as the clubs style of
play, clubs philosophy and ethos, development(important in SA) and the treatment
of its (small) fan base. For now, I will be a neutral before officially
supporting any PSL team(and that will include getting a membership card).
Lastly,
I would like to give strong praise to the players and coaches of Free State
Stars, Ajax Cape Town, Bidvest Wits, and Moroka Swallows for their efforts in
playing what I feel is an attractive brand of soccer. If only PSL fans could
start supporting these teams in numbers.
'Til
next time.
By Tom Moneypower
Twitter: @TomMoneyPower
Story: http://goo.gl/tikzF
