SA must fit into shifting soccerscape
The final whistle blew on the Fifa World Cup last night and the showpiece in Russia had its fair of successes.
That the underdogs prevailed all the way to the final not only defied the pundits’ wagers but the last top three standing – France, Croatia and Belgium – kept us entertained throughout the tournament.
The fact that powerhouses such as Brazil, Germany and Argentina stumbled against less fancied opponents demonstrated how the world football gap has narrowed.
Big-name players like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo were overshadowed by emerging new stars, with all eyes now firmly on Kylian Mbappe of France.
While we rave about other nations, it is heartbreaking that Africa’s story in Russia ended abruptly but we hope the lessons learnt will be useful at the next edition in Qatar, where the searing desert heat should be an advantage to Africa’s representatives.
We hope Bafana Bafana will be among the finalists.
South Africa has its own stars in the making, such as Percy Tau, who has just left our shores to gather international experience overseas at Brighton & Hove Albion in England. This is a step in the right direction as the English Premier League is ranked among the best in the world.
The more our players are offered such opportunities, the more they stand to play in top competitions like the Uefa Champions League.
The Champions League is one stage that ultimately prepares players for the rigours of the World Cup, where they face their opponents without fear.
For example, Egypt’s Mohamed Salah and Nigeria’s Victor Moses never suffered stage fright because, quite often, they cross paths with their opponents at their local leagues or in Europe’s top competition.
We hope Tau makes an impact to arrest the premature return of South African players from overseas.
Lebogang Manyama, who has been in Bafana for some time, is the latest early returnee from abroad just a few months into his contract at Konyaspor in Turkey.
We need a strong Bafana to make Qatar 2022 or else South Africa could struggle to make even the expanded World Cup in 2026 since the gap between the favourites and the underdogs has narrowed significantly.