Bungling Safa fail Banyana’s ton-up star

Association (Safa). When a player with a remarkable CV as Modise’s retires, you’d think it would be something special. But, then again, players do not really matter to the local game’s custodians, do they?

That they saw the need to call a quick press conference on the day when the news of Danny Jordaan’s appointment as the mayor of the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality was still hot property just goes to show they have no clue how to seize the moment at Safa House.

But, then again, as I said earlier, sometimes you just get the impression that the suits would rather hog the back pages and headline news themselves.

And so it was that Modise calling it quits was overshadowed by Jordaan’s explanation that he is a Safa volunteer, and that he does not “earn a penny” from the association.

Modise’s story was hidden somewhere on the inside pages or as a third item in bulletins as Danny’s face adorned not only the back pages but the front ones too as he told the nation – even on radio – just why there’s nothing wrong with his appointment as head honcho of his home city while he also occupies local football’s top seat.

It is for such reasons that we are the only country in the world where administrators are more well-known than the players.

As all these played out, I found myself wondering just how an institution that values its players would have treated the news of Modise’s retirement.

First things first, though – who is Portia Modise?

She is a South Africa’s reigning Sports Star of the Year. She is the only African player – male and female – to score more than 100 international goals. She has represented the country more than 100 times at senior level – and also earned useful caps at age-group level. She’s the only player to score a goal for Banyana Banyana at the Olympic Games and the only one to be nominated for the prestigious Fifa Women’s Footballer of the Year award. Enough said! Now surely such a player deserves to go out with a bang, and not the whimper that was her exit during the week.

Just the other day, I and many around the world watched teary- eyed as Steven Gerrard bid Anfield goodbye. Here was a football legend, a man who had served Liverpool wholeheartedly being given a send-off worthy of his status.

Surely Safa could have waited until after the news of Jordaan’s appointment had dissipated before Modise announced her retirement.

An association that values its player would perhaps have waited for Banyana to return from the Olympic qualifier in Libreville and then have Modise announce she was hanging up her prolific boots.

And they would then give Modise her day in the sun by letting her play one last match (perhaps the return leg against Gabon) so that the country could bid her goodbye properly.

The word from Jordaan, though, is that they would have loved to do all this, but such is the nature of Modise’s injury – a hamstring – that the player, being a bit on the old side, wouldn’t be fit to play.

And the Safa boss tells us there is a plan to give Modise a proper farewell as well as ensure that she is properly advised so she can play a big role in the national game in the future.

We certainly hope Safa lives up to this, if only to make up for the poor way the news of her retirement was handled.

This, after all, is a legend of the game and she deserves to go out like one – in style.