Let’s appreciate our legends!
Guys, there is a growing tendency of former players, masters, legends and alike being thrown into the rubbish bin while they are still useful – talk about being buried alive – together with their history and legacy! It is like they never even took to the field, and that’s just how quickly we forget about them. This is a serious indictment to our football because these are the people who paved the way for the current generation of celebrated footballers. The young football supporters know nothing about most of our legends and wouldn’t even recognise them if they crossed paths at a mall. Such is the sad story of South African football! We celebrate you now and move on to the next one once your time is up. There are a number of ways to keep these people’s memory alive because, at the end of the day, whether you enjoyed their playing careers or not, history has no blank pages. These people entertained us and served the Beautiful Game with pride.
Our legends need to be remembered, appreciated and respected. There are so many ways to do that. However, it is saddening to see some of our former players begging for match tickets to get into the stadium and watch the game they served and loved so much! These people dedicated their whole lives to football and some of them still serve it through coaching youngsters in their neighbourhoods. These guys, when it comes to match tickets, are usually pushed further down the pecking order, with ‘Slay Queens’ and people who couldn’t care less about football getting to experience suites and VIP treatment ahead of deserving former athletes. They are left to struggle to get access into the match venues they used to enjoy expressing their God-given talents in and regarded as home. This is, by no means, an attack on those who take their loved ones to the stadium to show them love but just an indication of how bad things are for the former professionals. Personally, a couple of times, one has had to organise tickets for legends who were stranded outside the stadium, desperately looking for ways to get in and watch the game! Shameful, isn’t it? You never imagine seeing people you grew up idolising because of their football skills begging to be allowed into the very same stadium, just to watch a game!
There are different layers to this situation because former players can’t just rock up at the stadium unannounced and expect to gain access. Yes, the security guards can’t allow just everyone without following the procedure, even if they see a familiar face. This has to be organised through the South African Football Association, DStv Premiership or individual clubs. For the record, there are teams who are already looking after their former players when it comes to match tickets. They even invite them sometimes and they need to be commended because their actions show that they have not forgotten about their former employees. These are teams that are out to preserve their history. Maybe something like a season ticket or accreditation, where people will have to RSVP ahead of time to avoid overstretching the facility, can work. There are different ways to make this happen, but it is all for the benefit of the Beautiful Game. Once again, it breaks one’s heart to see our former stars looking so desperate to watch the game and there is definitely something that can be done to improve this. Through communication and unity between all the stakeholders, we can certainly show appreciation to our legends. It is embarrassing, demeaning, disheartening and degrading to watch these guys standing outside the stadium gates, either waiting on someone who promised them tickets but they are not showing up or they are just waiting for a Good Samaritan who can help them with complimentary tickets.
Surely we can preserve what is left of their dignity by meeting them halfway. Once again, the onus is on the legends to make prior arrangements with their respective clubs because we can’t have a free-for-all access due to the limited space. This is where co-operation and understanding comes in. For us to neglect them, it is like turning them against the same game that they love so much. There are many former players out there who want nothing to do with the game they served with all their lives. Surely, the way they have been discarded from the game must have something to do with their current standpoint, among a litany of other grievances. You can’t play football and then turn around and want nothing to do with it, later on. The connection and bond that exists between this Beautiful Game and those who have engaged in it is only separated by death! You can’t be in football, disconnect from it and your life remains the same. Notice how miserable life is during off-season and you will understand what they mean when they say football is more than just a game. Something hurtful must have happened for the guys to distance themselves from the game so much. Bringing them back to the stadium will be a nice way to ‘reconcile’ and reintroduce them back to football, after feeling ‘scarred’ so much by the game.
They don’t really need VIP treatment, although it won’t kill anyone to put them up in a suite, because they are simply passionate about the game. When the current players bump into these legends, they will be meeting them in a space they are all comfortable in. That’s where they can share experiences, advice and establish relationships. By so doing, the future of our football will be in good hands with the current crop learning from their counterparts from yesteryear. That will also ensure that the legends play an important role in the modern game, while we help provide the current players with a ‘shoulder to cry on’ if and when they need one. Truth of the matter is that, not all of the current players have enough of a support system. By that, we don’t mean they don’t have anyone but very few of them have someone who has travelled the same road they are travelling now, to ask for advice. A conversation between a current player and a legend is completely different to a conversation between a footballer and a parent, for instance.
Who doesn’t want to ensure that our football and current players go far and have a bright future? To achieve that, let’s make use of our legends and re-integrate them into the game. Let’s appreciate our legends and not discard them from the game. Access to the stadium will go a long way in setting the ball rolling. It is heartbreaking to witness the legends desperately trying to get into the stadium on matchday. Something can surely be done to sort this problem out.