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King-Babs Mogobye wants to know who I feel was the best between Diego Maradona and Pele. Honestly, I have always believed it is best to enjoy ad appreciate people for who and what they are, rather than trying to compare them. It is the same with the Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi debate. Sorry to disappoint you by not sticking my neck on the block, but that is just how I feel about it.
Danny Moreo is asking about individual records against the national team’s ambitions, with Janine Van Wyk’s case in mind. I believe these kinds of issues should be handled better, behind the scenes, so that they don’t play themselves out in the public like we have seen. The coach has the prerogative to select the best team possible, but whether we like it or not, we have to consider things like individual records way before the game so that we can plan accordingly. I believe better communication and planning is what we needed the most, in this case.
As a football person, through other sporting codes you learn to appreciate the effort being put in by individuals and the team. In order for them to succeed, they sometimes have to do things you don’t get to experience in your own sporting code. Sometime you might think they are going through hiccups, only to find that it is normal practice for them and that opens your eyes. I usually ask myself, “What is stalling football from being like other sporting codes? Why are we behind the other sporting codes when it comes to competing against the rest of the world and standing our ground?” I don’t have the answer, but I believe if we start by competing fiercely against our continental rivals and dominate them, then we will be able to progress further. We might have an opportunity to play at the World Cup, but we hardly make it past the group stage and come back home. It has happened ever since we took part in the World Cup and that means there is something for us to learn from our Rugby counterparts. Imagine an African country reaching the finals and lifting the trophy. It shows that consistency, continuity, trust, belief and putting politics aside can take any sporting code to the next level. That’s how you get the players to see the bigger picture and the need to give their all to represent their country. That can only be done if the leadership is on the right track, otherwise we will forever be bemoaning missed opportunities. For us to have won Afcon 1996 and qualified for France 1998, it was because the direction was there for us. There was a pathway for us to walk on and it wasn’t by fluke.