Like
the situation when a naughty child does not act in the expected manner and is
then sent into the naughty corner, national team coach Gordon Igesund
(otherwise known as GI) has sent Orlando Pirates midfield general, Andile Jali,
into the Bafana Bafana wilderness.
The
naughty child has been sent into a dark corner to think about his
transgressions and his acts of disobedience.
This has been quite a lengthy punishment. The child is not wailing for attention but
the silence is deafening from both parent and child. Nobody seems to know how long this punishment
will last. Some of the Pirates fans neighbours seem to feel the punishment is too
harsh and suspicions of abuse are abound.
The
bystanders (Swallows fans, like myself) are merely concerned with a positive
end to the story and the growth and development of the child. It appears that SAFA the social
services department has been alerted to the situation but feel the parent is
handling the situation well. The other
obedient children of the Bafana family have – like obedient kids should behave
– not voiced their concerns, maybe for fear of similar punishment. Even the
prodigal son, Benni McCarthy, has kept his mouth quiet, appearing to have
learnt from a previous experience with his broer Moneeb Josephs.
To
bring things back to the football field, one thing that cannot be denied is the
fact that Andile Jali is one of the best players in the Premier Soccer League. He has been an instrumental part of the
treble-winning Pirates sides (as my fellow Bucs tweeps keep reminding us all)
and still, potentially, has plenty of
years available to play for the national squad and maybe abroad. However, his arrogance and, ahem,
“inappropriate” behaviour off the field seems to have soured the relationship
with the current Bafana Bafana head coach resulting in the player still being
overlooked for the forthcoming World Cup qualifier against Central African
Republic.
Jali
has been consistently overlooked by Igesund for Bafana matches, which most of
the public see as a form of punishment for quotes such as the following quote
found in an interview in the Soccerladuma newspaper in October 2012:
“I care about my team where i get
paid every month. I work for my team and i don't work for the national team”
In this particular interview, the
words “I don't care” are repeated a number of times. The interview painted a picture of an
arrogant, stubborn man and could have – and probably was – viewed as
disrespectful by Igesund and his assistants.
To the average soccer fan, the interview painted a picture of a player
who he would be doing the national or the national coach a favour by playing
for Bafana - like it was a privilege to have Andile Jali in your team (well, at
least that's how I took it).
The only person in SA football who
knows the truth is Andile Jali. He has been punished, and punished for quite a
long time. But I believe it is now time
that our father who art in Nasrec forgive Andile, the same way that he was
willing to forgive (and have coffee) with Steven. It is time for Ntate Igesund to reach
out his hand, show the young boy the way forward, whisper sweet nothings while
singing the comforting words that he is “once, twice, three times” a player
(just to keep up with the treble theme), and move forward together as a Bafana
family. We will need all hands on deck
if we are to qualify for the 2014 FIFA WORLD Cup in Brazil. South Africa is already at “itchy bum” stage
regarding the state of our qualification campaign.
Winning, in the end, is what the
average supporter cares about. He/she does not care about punishments. He/she
does not care about egos. And he/she does not care about how many kids of
wedlock a particular player has. He cares about winning or about “reclaiming
the glory” (hello there, Khosis). The same applies for SAFA.
Based on my knowledge of South
African football, when results are not forthcoming, the coach will end up going
especially when it involves the exclusion of certain fan-favourites. Whether it takes a formal apology from Jali,
some initiative from Igesund, or a special intervention from SAFA (fixing
relationships not fixing anything else), at this point, personally, “I don't
care'. The fans don't care. And should the situation go on and results fail to
come, SAFA will not hesitate ti fire the coach. And yes, they will not have a
care in the world.
By Thomas Monyepao
Do follow me on twitter @Tom_18Yards
