Government and business must support soccer
THE good news is that Zululand outfit Thanda Royal Zulu FC have clawed its way back to the Premier League. It joins Lamontville Golden Arrows and Maritzburg United as KZN’s representatives in the league. Thanda will now use the Umhlathuze Sports Complex as their home ground. The multimillionrand complex, which was built as a training ground for the 2010 World Cup, will now be optimally used and at the same time bring much needed professional soccer to the area. It is important to bring soccer to communities to ensure a fair spread of the game and promote growth. Indians have a long history in supporting non-racial football. Years ago Kaycee Reddy and Chico Lazarus brought professional soccer to Chatsworth when Manning Rangers made Chatsworth Stadium their home ground. Back then, nobody could beat the thrill of match nights as hundreds of cars snaked their way on Higginson Highway towards the venue, especially if Chiefs or Pirates were in town. Rangers won the NPSL league title in the inauguration year. In the 1980s, Dr Adam Arbee took pro soccer to Watson Park Stadium with Tongaat Crusaders under the Federation Professional League. The FPL was manned by such stalwarts as Ashwin Trikamjee, Rama Reddy, RK Naidoo, Dan Manicom, VC Thaver, SK Chetty, Vic Pillay, Abaas Rassool, Manna Govender and Don Mudaly to name a few. Some are dead. Many have retired into anonymity. Who can forget the glory days of Rangers, Berea and Bluebells when Durban’s Curries Fountain was the mecca for non-racial football? We can never forget stars like Daya Maistry, Super Naidoo, Buddy Govender, Sugar Singh, Ivan Selvanathan, Duncan Crowie, Keith America, Duda Munsamy and Farouk Abrahams. While the ANC has a history of annually commemorating the anniversary of every event and organisation of the past, what has it done for the FPL? A local group of diehards calling themselves the Fed Legends are the only ones that keep the legacy of the FPL alive.I would like to think that the Khadodias of Pietermaritzburg have kept a thread of the FPL tapestry alive by battling all odds to keep Maritzburg United in top flight soccer. They have invested time, energy and money in football. They should be applauded for their endeavours. But why can’t other Indian businessmen follow their example instead of hosting extravagant birthday parties for politicians? Why can’t they form a syndicate and buy a franchise? It is so sad that Phoenix, the largest Indian township in SA, does not have a soccer stadium. Just take a drive through the suburb and one will notice derelict sports fields. Even high-school sports grounds, presumably the cornerstone of development structures, lie neglected. The game needs to be brought to the townships of Phoenix and Chatsworth and the government and Safa need to act accordingly. KEVIN GOVENDER Shallcross