The
South African soccer family is celebrating the early exit of Pitso Mosimane and
Jairo Leal from Bafana Bafana technical team. We are busy popping champagnes in
carnival mood but the problem crippling Bafana Bafana is not yet solved. The
fact is, South Africa do not have quality players to compete at the highest
level because of insufficient solid development structures at the grass roots
level.
It
is a fact that our players are poorly developed whilst many players have
debuted in the Premier Soccer League at the age of 25 or more instead of 17 year-old
like other countries with a proper development structures.
How
many 16 year-old players competing regularly in the Premier Soccer League? The
answer is zero because South African Football Association (SAFA) is reluctant
to invest sufficient money in the soccer development structures. SAFA have
enough money for development but the same money is used to enrich SAFA bigwigs
via huge bonuses despite poor performance by SAFA administration.
We
have SAFA Transnet Football School Of Excellence that produced quality players
like Ninja Mofokeng, Lucky Maselesele Steve Pienaar, Dillion Shepard and many
more other players but today the same development institution is not operating
effectively because of lack of proper funds. The school of excellence has been
neglected despite its potential to produce world class players.
It
is dishearten to find out that the Mzansi finest defender Siyabonga Sangweni
was discovered at 24 year-old whilst Players like Teko Modise never represented
the country at the junior ranks and Bafana Bafana finest striker Edward Manqele
was also discovered at the age of 24 without any proper development as he is
from amateur ranks.
South
Africa has quality young players but most of them are lacking a proper platform
or development structures to express their talent especial in the disadvantaged
remote rural areas. I strongly believe that in remote Venda areas and other
rural areas, we have hundreds of players in the mould Mulomowandau Mathoho's
calibre but without any development structure, those players will never unleash
their god given talent.
SAFA
has failed and neglected our soccer development structures but even our PSL
teams are not Messiah too regarding development structures. PSL big teams such
as Kaizer Chiefs, Orlando Pirates, Mamelodi Sundowns and Moroka Swallows
already promoted few players from their development rank but only few are
making a tangible impact as others are not even making a team squad for the
matches.
Our
teams are not investing sufficient money in developing their own players as
they are busy looking elsewhere to buy players. The world best team Barcelona
prefer to develop its own players to preserve the barcelona culture of playing
but why is our team not doing the same?
Development
of young players is an issue that requires more robust discussion than firing
and hiring of national team coaches. Solid and proper players development
structures will result into adopting uniform standard of Mzansi diski culture
from under 12 to senior national team and I can bet my last zim dollar that our
national teams will be untouchable.
By Owen Mundalamo
Founder: Football
food for thought
