Feuding between Safa and the PSL means the game will continue to suffer
FOUR years after the World Cup in SA, and the domestic game remains stuck in the starting block because of petty local politics.
Given the at-times tempestuous relationship between the Premier Soccer League (PSL) and its South African Football Association (Safa) mother body, it is really no surprise that the sport is yet to respond to the starter’s pistol.
The two bodies are barely on speaking terms because of an incident that lifted the lid on the perennially bubbling cauldron of animosity a week ago.
It all began when SuperSport — the PSL’s broadcast partners — announced the launch of a corporate social investment programme “aimed at supporting development in football and broadcasting”.
The three-year partnership will focus on building the PSL’s reserve league and will attempt to fast-track the under-19 players of the 16 premiership clubs, among other things.
All this sounds rather grand and it is no surprise that many within the game have given the initiative their full support.
Who can blame them? The idea of a PSL reserve league had become a myth, like the Easter bunny, and it seemed only an act of God would get the thing off the ground.
But an event that appears to be for the greater good of South African football soon took a nasty turn because, first, Safa were not invited to the soiree.
The absence of anyone from Safa House was glaring and sharp-eyed journalists soon picked up that they were missing in a gathering that included Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula and South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee president Gideon Sam.
Deliberate or an unfortunate oversight? It sounds like tenants throwing a noisy party and forgetting to ask for permission from the owner of the house, don’t you think?
Some rather terse telephone calls and e-mails have been exchanged between Safa House and Parktown since that dramatic day last week and a little birdie tells me things have never been more tense.
But it does not look like the PSL is going to back down and the advertisements have now gone out, announcing the start of a MultiChoice Diski Challenge planned for next month.
While Safa has publicly welcomed the reserve league element of the thing, it has a problem with the under-19 age restriction because it feels that it wades into their territory.
So now we have something akin to two alligators snapping angrily at each other in an enclosed area.
Safa CEO Dennis Mumble pointed out this week that the association runs the game in the country and communication should have taken place between all the parties involved in the MultiChoice Diski Challenge.
‘‘We are in charge of South African football and there is dialogue that needs to take place,” he was quoted as saying.
But Safa also has to acknowledge that while it runs the sport, it has not done it in many years and the PSL has grown accustomed to taking the lead on this dance floor.
Following is not something the PSL is accustomed to, and we are now seeing the end result of years of poor leadership at Safa House — a case of the tail wagging the dog.
Safa president Danny Jordaan has been running Safa House for 11 months now, and he should know that old habits die hard.
The two parties are scheduled to meet some time this week to clear the air, and I imagine it would be stretching things to expect air kisses and public displays of affection.
But where does all this tension leave new Bafana Bafana coach Ephraim “Shakes” Mashaba?
The poor guy has been asked to rebuild the ailing national team but how in the blazes is he supposed to do that when Safa and the PSL seemingly cannot stand to be in the same room?
Mashaba already has a tough job on his hands and if the two bodies cannot work together, Mashaba might as well go home and catch up on his reading, because he is not going to get anywhere.
South African football has suffered because of these ridiculous feuds and if things do not change, the game will still be stuck in the starting block four years from now.