SOME REACTIONS…

Mr Editor, I don’t know how many times I read charismatic Putco Mafani’s interview, which appeared in edition 1254. The man was a pillar in our football and the things he said in his interview really touched me. Please, Mr Editor, give us Part 2. “Bhotsotso” Mkhize, Eshowe, Mpaphala, KZN

After going through Luckyboy Mokoena’s interview in issue 1256 and Vuyo Mere’s in 1257, I came to realise that some of our club chairmen have some bad practices in their teams. The bad part about all this is that they involve their coaches in those practices. I don’t think Read Ramovic had spent enough time with Mokoena to accuse him of not putting in enough effort to help the team. Vuyo Mere was a regular player and, out of the blue, he got suspended. The funny part with him is that he was waiting for his appeal to be heard … and boom, contract terminated! My understanding here is that the two were high earners. If it was the issue of the wage bill, then the two chairmen should have said so. How can you be suspended for representing your colleagues, having been chosen to do so? How can you be singled out for the team’s poor results? It’s a pity that a lot of our players are desperate for employment and can’t say anything bad until they leave their respective teams. All the best to both Mere and Mokoena in their new teams. In parting, it was good to see Itumeleng Khune in action and showing his class over the weekend. Malesela “Dance” Boya, Kanana, Hammanskraal

I’m humbled to be supported by fellow Soccer Laduma reader Lekiya Magoai regarding the platform that must be afforded in the publication for supporters’ interviews. These regular contributors and readers are the reason for the existence of the publication for so many years. It has been very exciting and fulfilling to contribute letters to the paper. I still have a copy of the letter I wrote to Soccer Laduma in 1998 when the late David Kekana was still working for the publication. I knew there and then that this paper was going to stand the test of time. I’d like to salute all the supporters, readers, contributors, staff and management. Keep up the marvelous job you’re doing. The knowledgeable contributors of Soccer Laduma were spot-on about the goings-on in the Afcon. The teams are playing similar football, which makes it very, very boring. There is no creativity and identity. Only countries like Malawi, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia and Comoros have maintained their identity. They’ve been a joy to watch with their style of play and creativity. Previously, the Afcon used to be a breeding ground for sensational future stars such as 16-year-old Kallon of Sierra Leone, Babangida, Aghahowa, etc. In this edition, you’ll struggle to mention three exciting stars. Only Nigeria’s Simon stood out. There’s a lot that needs to be done to rediscover what made African soccer tick. Thabang Lehoko, via email

I was touched by Lekiya Magoai’s letter in issue 1257. It’s always an honour when other readers recognise the great job we’re doing as MAKE YOUR POINT contributors. True, I’m working on organising a tournament in my community and am in the process of luring sponsors. As for my passion and love for soccer, story for another day. On to the business of the day: Let’s give credit where it’s due and start treating players the same. It seems goalkeepers and defenders don’t get the recognition they deserve. I watched the game between Amabutho and Warriors and must confess that Itumeleng Khune had a great game and should have walked away with the Man of the Match accolade. For a player who’s spent the better part of the season on the sideline to perform like that was astonishing and he should have been rewarded. He really proved that there’s no substitute for experience. I remember telling my friends that Khune is still the best goalkeeper and can still offer Bafana Bafana a lot. Call me insane, but it’s always been my dream to meet and shake hands with Khune and even now I’m still nursing that dream, though I’m a Sundowns supporter. But how long will goalkeepers and defenders continue to play second fiddle to midfielders and strikers? Tente Mokoka, Sepharane

Soccer Laduma issue 1257’s Revolving Column refers. I am disappointed in the statement made by Junior Khanye, where he said, “When did Bafana last do well in any of the qualifiers that we played, before we can start talking about Ghana and say that they robbed us?” I mean, in my opinion, Bafana did well in the World Cup qualifiers with locally-based and young players that can carry us for 10 to 12 years. Mr Khanye, let’s be honest, this is African football, so let’s not fool ourselves. Southern African teams are always on the receiving end of dubious decisions in tournaments. Remember 2013,

TP Mazembe vs. Orlando Pirates? Lucky Lekgwathi got a red card and the hosts were given two penalties, which Senzo Meyiwa saved? Let’s face it, if that decision was in our favour against Ghana, we would have been in the play-offs for Qatar 2022. Jeffrey “Oarasib” Hartzenberg, Klapmuts, Stellenbosch

champions, Algeria, exited the first round with a mere point collected. A lot was expected of them, but they never came to the party and their supporters were left disappointed. The football gods put smiles on our faces as South Africans after we were denied an opportunity to be part of the World Cup play-offs as a result of a boardroom decision that favoured Ghana ahead of us. Ghana failed to win even a single game as they collected just one point. Well done to the Super Eagles as the only team that collected maximum points in the group stages, but they’re now out. Bernard Tshukudu, Ga-Maria

Let me take this opportunity to congratulate Salima Rhadia Mukansanga of Rwanda for being the first woman to be appointed as a referee to officiate in an Afcon match, Zimbabwe v Guinea. To put a cherry on top, she was also appointed as fourth official for the Group B match between Guinea and Malawi a fortnight ago. This augurs well for aspirant women referees in the entire continent as she is the first one to be appointed at all levels in the Afcon. Even though the odds were stacked against her for just being a woman in a male-dominated terrain, she remained stoical and worked extra hard to achieve this milestone. This awesome feat will be great for her country and the refereeing fraternity at large. I’d like to wish her the very best for her future in refereeing. Papi Netshivhale, Bloemfontein & Sharpeville

Since the start of the Afcon tournament, I think the officiating has been a lot better and hopefully this will prevail throughout the competition. The only match where I saw a lot of mistakes was Tunisia vs. Mali, where I think towards the end of the game, the man in the middle made a lot of wrong calls, starting with the penalty he gave to Tunisia. Yes, that was a penalty, but the Tunisian player handled the ball deliberately even before the whistle was blown. For that, I believe he should have also been booked. The second one was the straight red that

was given to a Malian player. Yes, it was a foul, but it was not malicious to the extent that the player could be sent for an early shower. At least show him a yellow. Last but not least, I did not understood it when the referee blew the fulltime whistle with five minutes to go, but upon realising his mistake, the game continued, only to be called off again in the 89th minute with no optional or injury time. Leponesa Chacha, Botshabelo

Quick One-Two’s

After watching the DStv Compact Cup games this past weekend, I couldn’t help but wonder why Khune is completely left out of Baxter’s team selections in recent times, as he demonstrated that he is still the best. The saves and ball distribution were impeccable. I also wondered why Nkosingiphile Ngcobo is not played regularly alongside Dolly as the pair demonstrated how well they combine as attacking midfielders. The continued reliance on Dolly to produce magic game after game will result in the player burning out and even sustaining injuries when there are the likes of Nkosingiphile, Sekgota and Mashiane who could take the pressure off him. The games also demonstrated that Njabulo Ngcobo is best suited as a defender and not a midfielder. I have written to this newspaper before showing unhappiness with our coach and I am still maintaining that it was a mistake, albeit unforeseen, to hire him back. I can bet my last dollar that Kaizer Chiefs will not win any silverware with this man still around. Seeing that the powers that be at the club don’t see this, it will be left to the fans, when they are allowed back to the stadiums, to fire this coach. Well, we all know how fans do this, particularly when Amakhosi are playing in Durban. Sindile Kwitshana, via email

What an eye-opener for ‘the blind’. Big up to MultiChoice. The DStv Compact Cup was that medicine so dearly needed by some ‘blind’ coaches in the PSL. We are missing the class of Khune and the youngsters that raised their hands in this exciting competition. One commentator couldn’t hold himself when he said, “You can’t buy class”, referring to Khune after one of his marvellous saves and superb ball distribution. And you wonder why the boy is sitting in the stands with such experience. He might have committed a few mistakes, but who doesn’t? De Gea and Allison, from Manchester United and Liverpool respectively, have made worse mistakes, but they were never crucified by their coaches and they came back tops. Please, coaches, catch a wake-up. Hofmeyr Kwitshana, via email

The gulf between African football and her European counterpart boils down to professionalism, or lack thereof. Africa is teeming with talent, hence European scouts flock to our shores to hunt for talent. If we as a continent don’t readjust our attitude, we’ll continue to play a subservient role on the world stage. I know the suspense is killing you. My point? Let’s cut off this buffoonery of feigning injuries under the pretext of so-called game management. This malady spread across all levels of football on the continent – club and national team. If one team is under pressure from their opponents, they will roll all over the field in a bid to take the sting off their opponents. This makes a mockery of the spirit of Fair Play, which is the pillar of any sporting code. A recent league game between Manchester United and Brentford saw the former under immense pressure

from their less fancied opponents, but not once did they resort to this cowardly act of faking injuries to dampen Brentford’s spirit. Man United went on to win the game fair and square. Africa, up the ante or continue to be also-rans. George Sithole, Honeydew

Lionel Messi has a strict and disciplined football mentality and any coach will notice that. You need a player like him. His mentality made him the best player in the world. He’s shown that discipline will take you to places motivation cannot. I’d like to tell SA talented players to understand that when you’re a rare talent, for you to make it big, you must live a boring lifestyle. You’re not going to be at every party or nightclub. You must take pride in your talent and know that you’re not going to be available to everyone. I know many rare talents who did exactly what I’m talking about and they outlived and outplayed their age – Nomvethe, Shoes, Mere, Moeneeb, Maluleke, Mooki, Mbesuma, Lekgwathi, Tshabalala and Letsholonyane. These guys lived a boring life and were almost anti-social, because they knew what they had was rare. They protected their talent with everything they had and also realised that they were not like everyone else. Look at what they achieved and how long they lasted in the game. If they had decided to become social butterflies who couldn’t miss any party, they’d never have achieved even half of what they achieved. Talent alone can really kill you in the absence of discipline. Kganthane Lebaka, Ga-Phaahla-Makadikwe village

The rate at which football clubs are sold in the PSL is embarrassing for a league that is said to be among the top 10 in the world. The introduction of the new rule by SAFA, which prohibits clubs from being sold, renamed and relocated willy-nilly will maybe solve the problem. I say ‘maybe’ because there are always loopholes with these technicalities of the sale of the clubs with approval of SAFA. Some of the club bosses in our PSL want a one-man show and don’t want partnership or shareholders to share the burden, hence they struggle financially and there’s no backing. Is it maybe because they are controlling and dictate to coaches as to what to do? They don’t run clubs like the businesses they say clubs are. Some provinces like the North West will take forever to have a PSL team because they can’t buy their way into the elite league. Lucky Khunou, Meriting

In the good old days, we knew that the best foreign players were found at Cosmos because “Mjomana” used to scout and sign quality players from Africa at tournaments like the Afcon, Four Nations Cup, Cup Winners’ Cup, etc. I’m not sure what’s wrong with the big man himself now because, as it is, Cosmos and Leopards might be relegated again if their fortunes do not change. They are both languishing at the bottom of the GladAfrica Championship log. Ntate Sono, if he still has the love of Ezenkosi in his heart, must use the ongoing Afcon to get quality players who might be willing to come and save his sinking ship. Secondly, a wise man always changes his mind. Bra J must just fire the current Cosmos