. . . but as for Bafana and other characters, need we say more?
● Promoter Steve Kalakoda and Boxing SA:
Boxer Herbert Nkabiti died on their watch. After collapsing in the ring in April, he was rushed to a nearby private hospital where a neurosurgeon was supposed to be on call — as is legally required for boxing tournaments. The hospital later said no formal arrangement was made for the event, although Kalakoda denied this. Suffering from bleeding on the brain, Nkabiti was transferred to a government hospital where he died less than 24 hours after the fight. — David Isaacson
● Athletics SA: So ASA might have some good accountants, who took it into the black after a decade in the red, but it doesn’t seem to know much about athletics. Its selection for the world championships in London was a disaster, omitting 14 athletes who had qualified for the event. And when it tried to explain its decision, it revealed gobsmacking incompetence. ASA argued that none of them would have advanced beyond the first round of competition — but the standards used to make this assessment were so high they actually equated to top-eight finishes and in some cases medals. — David Isaacson
● World Rugby Council: OK, not all the 39 members who voted for the host of Rugby World Cup 2023 are villains, but at least 24 of them are. The South African bid was considered the best by an independent review panel and its recommendation was for the council to vote for Mzansi. But horse-trading was the order of the day as France won the vote 24-15. — Craig Ray
● Haroon Lorgat: For selling (or is it not selling?) the T20 Global League dummy, and Cricket South Africa’s board for not spotting Lorgat’s folly until it was going to be $25million too late. Now he’s just someone that we used to know, en kyk hoe lyk hulle (CSA’s board) nou. On top of that, the game in this country is the poorer for this sorry mess — instead of a tournament to rival the Indian Premier League and the Big Bash, spectators have had to make do with just another domestic competition, albeit one that isn’t short of top players. — Telford Vice
● Safa and Bafana coach Stuart Baxter:
They signed a strange five-year deal in May in which the Briton was not given a mandate. Baxter then failed to qualify Bafana Bafana for the 2018 Russia World Cup — for the second time, as in 2005 — and both he and the South African Football Association showed everyone the middle finger when they were asked about his future and Bafana’s disastrous campaign. — Sazi Hadebe
● The Premier Soccer League: The PSL tries to get many things right but one thing remains a sore point: its governance. The PSL has told everyone who cares to listen that it has been looking to hire a CEO — which has taken more than two years. For an organisation that is a law unto itself and has had a club owner as permanent chairman, the CEO saga is not surprising, because it serves the PSL’s own interests well. — Sazi Hadebe
● The City of Cape Town: It’s treatment of football is embarrassing and we are glad a high-profile figure like Benni McCarthy has highlighted this after experiencing it firsthand as coach of Cape Town City. But because the city’s dissing of football has been going on for years, we do not expect anything to change in the years to come. Maybe a change in authority might tilt things more in favour of the sport admired the world over but shunned in Cape Town. — Sazi Hadebe
● Kwagga Smith: Hindsight is always the best view and, yes, Smith should have waited for David Havili to land before tackling him. The Lions were already behind the eight-ball in the final against the Crusaders, and being reduced to 14 men was not going to help. Smith had a good season, yes, but in one moment of madness all his hard work evaporated. — Khanyiso Tshwaku
● The Springboks: Over the course of an historic night in Albany on September 16, the shell-shocked Boks watched in horror as the rampant All Blacks inflicted their second 57pointer against them. Only this time the Boks failed to register a single point, and surpassed the 0-49 Brisbane Bashing of 2006. — Khanyiso Tshwaku
● Romain Poite: In the eyes of New Zealand Rugby, the erratic French referee will forever be the man who denied the All Blacks a series win against the British and Irish Lions. It was a bad decision; Ken Owens had played the ball from an offside position and it should have been a penalty. However, the rugby world (South Africa especially) took the moment to remind the All Blacks about Poite’s display against the Boks in 2013 at the very same Eden Park.