Why South Africa’s rich talent falters

When recent research produced evidence that there are significant biological and cultural differences between different populations groups which can separate the winners and losers in high performance sports, most of the answers to why South Africa’s football talent falters became EVIDENT.

Today there is no argument about the inborn abilities of black African/SA players related to agility, creative technique, speed of reaction, movement and tactical improvisation or explosiveness.

The CHALLENGE here is to overcome ignorance and discrimination and accept such differences. The second critical CHALLENGE is to develop a concept of training and coaching that fully REFLECTS those specific attributes of black African/SA players as PRE-CONDITION for maximizing their potential and performance.

For example, if the training model is constructed on GENERAL/GLOBALIZED bio-cultural profile of players, then the level of performance for black African/SA players WILL REMAIN far below their actual potential. Factual evidence dismisses the current traditional, globalized and irrelevant coaching/training doctrine on the basis of NOT addressing crucial genetic differences expressed by various population groups. Surely, that’s distorted and misleading sport science whenever the aim IS to optimize talent and performance in football.

The solutions for prioritizing Africa’s unique football traits, blend and develop them in training have been identified and already used successfully. As early as 2002, Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), Confederation of African Football (CAF) and locally, Molefi Oliphant (then the South African Football Association’s (SAFA) President) were made aware of new discoveries on physiologic and somatic differences between various populations groups and the consequences of such certain advantages that may influence the PROGRESS of football.

Illogically, there was no reaction. At the same time I informed Kaizer Motaung of the new findings and he offered me the opportunity to implement a completely different approach at Kaizer Chiefs which CONFIRMED the necessity of recognizing and respecting the nature of South African players as key to success. Other conclusive examples followed. The fact that there is powerful RESISTANCE to accept the specific nature of black African players is not surprising.

There is an urgent NEED for more properly educated coaches, football leaders and scientists who can be capable and willing to REPLACE old knowledge with new knowledge. Here the understanding should be that these innate differences in football abilities are not an exclusive feature of black African/SA players. They can be found in all population groups but at a significantly LOWER scale.

However, a relevant and efficient concept of training and coaching based on complete recognition of South African player’s bio-cultural profile should be able to fulfill the TALENT and performance of ALL players regardless of their ethnicity. In this regard, an important document has been sent to several football influential people in another attempt to stop the waste of South Africa’s rich talent. It's time to acknowledge and even celebrate the obvious.

By Dumitru Ted