Stop ‘boxing’ our players
I find it interesting that not everyone seems to agree on whether or not players should celebrate goals scored against their former teams. This has been a thorny issue for as long as I can remember because, whenever a player celebrates a goal against their former team, conspiracy theorists go on a wild goose chase, look beyond the celebration and jump into a conclusion that the player wasn’t happy with the way they left their former club, so there’s an agenda and a bone to pick. That means the player has a strong message to the former club: I told you so!
Funnily, w hen a player doesn’t celebrate their goal, the very same conspiracy theorists w ill accuse the player in question of not w anting to burn their bridges, as they still w ant to go back to their team at some point or the player isn’t entirely happy at the current club. In essence, if a player scores and celebrates against a former team, there’s a problem; if they score and not celebrate, then there’s still a problem. Damned if you do, damned if you don’t!
I know a lot of people have differing view s on this, but I think, for the benefit of the game, it is important that w e stop creating boxes for our players to think w ithin. Let us allow the players to express themselves w ithout inhibition, like Thabo Mnyamane recently did against SuperSport United, scoring the solitary goal for Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila FC to eliminate Matsatsantsa a Pitori from the Nedbank Cup. Even that got people talking, believing that goal celebration w as personal since SuperSport United had decided against renew ing Mnyamane’s contract and therefore let him go as he w as deemed surplus to requirements. As far as some people w ere concerned, Mnyamane’s celebration represented a middle finger to his former employers. They say he disrespected (read bit) a hand that once fed him, w hich is ridiculous! I saw nothing w rong w ith Mnyamane celebrating his team’s goal that lead to a much-needed victory. I w as just as happy to see Lehlohonolo Majoro score and celebrate against Kaizer Chiefs for AmaZulu FC, recently. The cherry on top w as that the goal w as against one of his best friends, Itumeleng Khune. It doesn’t get better than that!
Just this past w eekend, Thabiso Kutumela refused to celebrate his goal for Maritzburg United against his former club, Orlando Pirates, in the Nedbank Cup Last 16. A w ell-taken curler, capitalizing on miscommunication betw een Thulani Hlatshw ayo and Richard Ofori. Just like a number of other players, Kutumela refused to celebrate, out of ‘respect’ for his former club. Sifiso Myeni scored one of his most important goals for Pirates against Bidvest Wits, his former team, in the 2014 Nedbank Cup final, and didn’t celebrate. A popular TV commentator screamed, “Myeni, a gentleman, a true gentleman, refuses to celebrate against his former side.” My question to everyone w ho holds the view that players shouldn’t celebrate against their former teams, is: Why? Why not stop them from playing against their former teams if scoring and celebrating is prohibited? We are not talking about celebrating an ow n goal, w hich w ould obviously be unacceptable. What message are you sending to your current employer and supporters if you’re not going to celebrate your goal against your former team? Doesn’t it make you look like regretting scoring, w hen you don’t celebrate? There’s nothing w rong w ith respecting your former team, but it can’t be done at the expense of your current, surely. Why should you w orry about your former team w hen you have moved on? When you have a bad game against your former team, isn’t your refusal to celebrate your goals going to plant a seed that you didn’t try hard enough because you’re up against your former team?
As football people, w e need to stop ‘boxing’ our players and allow them to express themselves freely so that they can enjoy the game. They can be cordial tow ards their former teams off the field, but once the first w histle blow s, they are enemies. Whether you parted on a sour note or amicably, as a player you have a new employer and supporters that you need to make happy. Focus on serving them rather than protecting ‘lost love’ at the expense of your current. When a team releases a player, no one holds them accountable for anything happening to that player, but w hy can’t the same principle apply w hen it comes to players? Why must players alw ays be the ones nursing other people’s feelings and restraining themselves? To me, if you don’t celebrate your goal, it means you’re disrespecting your current team. I know players think of the potential backlash and stop themselves from celebrating because not all of them are brave enough not to w orry.
I don’t like to w atch a player refusing to celebrate their goal because football is an emotional game. If Judas Moseamedi, for instance, has something against Chiefs, one team he almost alw ays show s up against, isn’t that w hat football is all about? Isn’t that w hat builds characters? You look at our derbies and there are no personalities anymore. There are no rivalries to look forw ard to. Think of Jerry Sikhosana and Brian Baloyi in a Sow eto Derby. Those tw o didn’t even have to say anything to prove that they hated losing against each other. It w as evident, but w e don’t see enough of that anymore because w e’ve turned our players so timid that, out of respect, they don’t w ant to upset anyone. They’re so careful w hat they say in public, even the coaches, and it is all about tow ing the line. We complain about our strikers not scoring enough w hen w e have turned them into these ‘nice’ players w ho are encouraged to be team players. They are not selfish anymore, w hich is an integral part of any striker’s game. These may seem like simple things at face value, but they make a huge difference in the bigger scheme of things. We have, unw ittingly, killed and suppressed our strong personalities and characters in the game and that doesn’t help anyone. We need to change this mentality!