Desperation is dangerous!
Last week’s column about the young Cape Town Spurs striker, Luke Baartman, lends itself to this week’s topic, which is about the need for superstars to shake things up in South African football. There is an ongoing level of desperation that continues to plague our domestic football whenever there are games taking place. The way we are so hungry for new, breath-taking and young talent, superstars or poster boys, we continue to desperately look and try to find them everywhere there is action. Truth be told, it has been a long time since we’ve had new talent that takes our football by storm.
The fact that people still remember and celebrate the likes of Doctor Khumalo, Lucas Radebe, Tebogo Moloi, Joseph Makhanya, Lebohang Mokoena, the late Gift Leremi, Scara Ngobese, Mbulelo Mabizela, Teko Modise, Jabu Pule (Mahlangu), Daine Klate, Siphiwe Tshabalala, Surprise Moriri and many other entertainers and match-winners who could literally turn the game on its head for their respective teams, says a lot about the current state of affairs. These are players who always stole the show and left the supporters either heartbroken or rejoicing, depending on which side of the fence they were on. These are some of the players who were poster boys of South African football and their mere presence excited everyone because, whether you supported them or were opposed to their team, they evoked an emotion one way or the other. These are players you just couldn’t ignore, let alone write off. Proof to that is the fact that, long after their retirement, people still talk about them and you’d hear passionate supporters teasing each other’s teams about incidents that involved these players. Because of their impact, it comes as no surprise to hear of guys older than these former players named after them. Such was their impact that even younger players relate to them more so than most of the current crop of players.
We’ve not had a ‘Jabu Pule’ in a long time because we lack consistency in our game and, as much as the game continues to evolve, this is one of the missing elements in our football. This is why the supporters continuously try to hype every promising player and put them on a pedestal, only for the reality to finally sink in that the player was actually not who they thought he was. The player proves not to be ready for the heavy burden that comes with being the star of the show. It takes a lot of consistency and discipline to stay on top of your game for as long as some of these legends have done. The road is long but can be cut very short if one is not focused, as it proved to be the case with some of the promising talents that were never fulfilled.
The fact that we are so hungry for superstars leads to a false hope that sees us relying on any promising youngster and elevating him into stardom. Our football is crying for consistent superstars and poster boys that will be the face of South African football. When you look at the team assembled by Mamelodi Sundowns, you see most of the cream that our country has produced. If you were asked to list 10 superstars of the current generation, without a blink, most of the names will come from the Chloorkop-based side because, if you are talking about quality, consistency and identity, they have it all in their team. Most of the other teams have had players promising, but consistency has been their enemy as they were found wanting. They play well for a couple of games and then disappear either through injury or loss of form. Monnapule Saleng set the 2022/23 season alight with high levels of consistency and proved to be Pirates’ secret weapon.
He seems to have since lost that magic touch because of injuries and inconsistent performances so far this season. The truth of the matter is that Saleng has not been the same player, for whatever reason. This is a player who gave every opposition defender a tough time with his sublime skills and goalscoring prowess. He looked the part, to become the next best thing to come out of the Houghton-based side and South African football. He seemed to be on his way to becoming a new darling of South African football because he ticked all the boxes. He gave everyone something to talk about, entertainment and results. For the first time in a while, we started seeing supporters carrying posters with his name on at our match venues. That’s something we had not seen in our game in a long time because we’d been missing the matchwinner, the dribbler, the entertainer, the crowd-pleaser, the drawcard and someone the supporters would pay to go watch him play.
To this day, Pirates supporters continue to bring their Saleng posters despite the dip in his form and that’s a clear indication that they know form is temporary but class is permanent. For them to liken him to Cristiano Ronaldo speaks volumes. As if Saleng wasn’t enough on his own, in came the young Relebohile Mofokeng! What a sensational player and what a promising talent! He’s been another star in the making, with his darting runs, skill and township-like approach to the game. His absence, due to his overseas trial, took a bit of sting away from him and he now has had to catch up with the rest of the team. Nkosingiphile Ngcobo at Kaizer Chiefs was that player and so was Samkelo Zwane and Mduduzi Shabalala, but their lack of regular game-time has put paid to their potential. These are just some of the players a lot has been expected from and seen as the next best thing to come from their club. Sundowns have a couple of promising youngsters in their arsenal, but they are hardly playing domestic football these days, due to their CAF commitments.
The sad reality is that South African football is so desperate for superstars that will freshen things up in our Beautiful Game and draw the young generation’s attention. One hopes the development structures we have will continue to produce quality players, good enough to take our football to the next level, and that coaches will be brave enough to give these players an opportunity to make a name for themselves in the elite league. One also hopes that when that happens, the players will grab the chances with both hands because our football is crying for match-winners. Themba Zwane has been that player at Sundowns for the longest time and remains one of the few consistent performers that the supporters can always look forward to watching. Our people are passionate enough to go to the stadium and support football, as long as they are given a reason to part with their hard-earned money. Having to put a poster in a newspaper should be an easy job, but you will be surprised at the time we spend, scratching our heads, trying to think of a player to feature in a poster at times. Such is the desperate position we find ourselves in. Desperation is dangerous!
Please note that Soccer Laduma will be off the shelves for two weeks, during the Christmas break, with our last edition of 2023 out on December 21st and the first one of the New Year out on January 11.