Heart must make up for our lack of skill

You know times have really changed when musicians easily fill a stadium with their tickets priced at around R350, but our national team fails to get the masses even with the price slashed by half with a promise of a free beer on top. And this is an official Fifa World Cup qualifying match we are talking about.

There have obviously been questions raised about Safa’s decision to take the match to FNB because Johannesburg fans have, over the last few years, proved that they are not so keen on football anymore. But this time I will back Safa. It was meant to be a celebratory event more than anything.

Bafana were supposed to have qualified, or come close to qualifying, for Russia 2018 and for the celebrations before and afterwards, it made business sense to host it in Jozi where most entertainers are based.

I will put the blame squarely on the players. It is them who hurt us so badly that we are now scared of fully backing them. Failing to beat Cape Verde twice was the final straw for many fans.

I listened to former Bafana coach Shakes Mashaba speak of our team’s lack of match-winners on a TV show on Wednesday and I couldn’t help but agree with him. Some will say Shakes was playing to the gallery because these are the same players he was using

Sibongiseni Gumbi

during his tenure.

Yes, that may be true, but no coach would say that while in charge of the team because he would lose the confidence of his players. He can say that now because he is not part of the team anymore.

The only player in that team who goes on the field to win seems to be goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune. He fights with everything he has to ensure he keeps the team in the game and one wishes we could have 11 Khunes on the field. I am not basing this on talent alone, but more on his spirit. When he gets on the field he becomes someone else and knows his job is to help the team win.

There is also Andile Jali. He can also win you matches. But unlike Khune, he needs to be in the right space and enjoy the confidence of the coach or have a point to prove to be his element. Remember how he played when he was eventually given a run against Cape Verde in the return leg in Durban?

I think he had a point to prove and he did. We had been asking why he had been left out of the starting XI and he had to justify that to the fans who were calling for his inclusion.

I am also yet to understand why Thamsanqa Gabuza, yes him, the tall Pirates striker, has been left out of the team of late. Like Khune – not in terms of talent though – Gabuza is a winner. He plays to win and gives his best effort at all times. He may miss easy chances, but you can never question his commitment.

We need such players. We may not have a Neymar in this country but if we could have more players who are brave and willing to give their best at all times then we can go far. Since we do not have skilful match-winners anymore, we need to have hard workers who will fight.