Event a great proving ground for youngsters

The Four Nations tournament that Bafana Bafana are set to take part in from Thursday in Zambia will lay a strong foundation for the national team going forward. In terms of the players who have been identified and selected by coach Stuart Baxter, I feel these are the players who will in future help us to qualify for international tournaments.

For the players who have been selected, especially the young ones who are not used to national team set-ups and don’t necessarily have experience at international football, this event will go a long way in terms of making sure our players can compete at the high- est level for club and country.

We have seen in the past where our players are introduced to the national team they become household names. But once they step out of our territory and move to teams abroad, they freeze. There are quite a number of them and I feel this tournament will help to address this conundrum because the sooner the younger players are nurtured, the better for the national side and their careers, should they make moves internationally.

We need to make sure these so-called young players are developed thoroughly. However, my problem with the whole process is the players themselves. We have seen in the past that players sort of become household names for a very short period, for two seasons at most, then unfortunately fall by the wayside.

We are struggling to control these boys and keep them grounded and humble. We need to make sure they are working hard because the battle is not lost on the field, but off it.

We are failing to control these players when it comes to off-thefield life. Inasmuch as you can’t, as a coach or club owner, govern how players must conduct themselves when they are not under your watch – it is nonetheless the duty of a coach to make sure their lifestyle does not affect their game – this is by no means trying to police the personal lives of players, but in the final analysis they are footballers and they need to conduct themselves in a professional manner.

Players need to live the lifestyle of a true professional. They need to remain humble and always respect football. I feel it is something that has been letting our boys down.

We need to educate these boys that the more famous they become, the more challenges they encounter. This is what we have been lacking. If these boys who Baxter selected don’t maintain a professional lifestyle, they will disappear along the way like we have seen with some in the past – we continue to ask ourselves where those boys who showed so much potential are.

Anyway, that is part of the problem we are faced with in our football and it is important to break this trend.

However, there are good stories to tell in our football. For instance, Mamelodi Sundowns have qualified for the Caf Champions League group stages for the third time running. This club is a true

inspiration in our football and their success on the continent speaks to and addresses some of the challenges we have in our football.

I also want to encourage Cape Town City and Bidvest Wits after failing to advance in the Confederation Cup and the Champions League respectively. They need to look at Sundowns and use them as an inspiration.

Another team to draw a lot of inspiration from are SuperSport United, who advanced to the Confederation Cup play-offs. For Masandawana and Matsatsantsa players going beyond South African borders and playing under challenging and difficult conditions, it has taught them to be humble, to respect football and how to approach a game collectively as a team and how they should behave individually.

This experience will go a long way in helping Bafana Bafana.