SA’S conveyor belt of talent has ground to a halt

WHAT do Andre Arendse, Lucas Radebe, Mark Fish, Eric Tinkler, Shaun Bartlett, Quinton Fortune and Benni Mccarthy have in common?

They were all professional players from a similar era that managed to forge successful careers individually in Europe, and particularly in England.

There was also Siyabonga Nomvete, who enjoyed success in Italy, as well as George Koumantarakis, who plied his trade with distinction at Basel in Switzerland. There were others who followed journeyman careers in various countries as well.

All these individuals have long-since retired from football as players and some are pursuing coaching careers at the highest level in South Africa.

Since these players played their last competitive games, have there been any others from South Africa who have gone to Europe and made a name for themselves?

For several years, the only South African-born player appearing in England was Steven Pienaar. Since he retired, to my knowledge, no one has been carrying this country’s flag in any top league in Europe.

What is the reason for this? How can so many players, as mentioned, from a similar era all do so well at the same time?

Players from South Africa were sought after for their talent, courage and commitment.

The system that gave rise to them was working very well, churning out players of all-round quality.

Countless players from the Federation League were among the best and could have gone on to greater things as footballers.

My one regret is that I never had the opportunity to personally experience the skill and wizardry that was prevalent, week in and week out, at grounds like Currie’s Fountain.

I have heard and read about numerous players of the highest calibre who entertained vast crowds regularly in this league.

Why has this conveyor belt of top quality players stopped running? Why are there no household names even in the local Professional Soccer League (PSL)?

One or two players constituted a flash in the pan after the 2010 World Cup and even now, eight years later, those same players are still playing and among the best. No one else seems to be coming through.

What has happened to South African football that we cannot produce good-quality players anymore?

Some say it is because they earn such good salaries playing in the PSL and are content to stay here.

This is nonsense. If the players were good enough to play overseas, then what they make there in one week could be more than a month’s salary in South Africa.

We have some of the best facilities in Africa and yet there are poor countries in central and western Africa that continue to produce some of the best players in the world.

They grow up playing on fields that have hardly any grass, in leagues that are not the strongest and, in many cases, must travel long distances to find a decent team to play for.

In South Africa we should have an advantage over other countries that enables us to be among the best on the continent, but this is not the case.

Having observed and been involved in junior football for years, I have seen the talent is there with kids at a young age, but when they reach their teen years something goes wrong.

The development process is either interrupted or it does not enjoy the focus that kids of that age deserve.

All those football legends mentioned above enjoyed continuous development as players from a young age until the day they retired.

There was no fast-tracking like there is now with this ridiculous age restriction in the second and third divisions, where there is a quota of under-23 players who must play every game. That rule has caused more damage than anything else.

About 20 years ago Safa was running a central academy of excellence. Quinton Fortune and Steven Pienaar were some of the graduates from this academy.

Why was it stopped?

Why have no other properly registered, regulated and controlled central academies been established by Safa?

One such academy has been mooted for Kwazulu-natal for several years, but after much fanfare in the beginning nothing has come of it.

I believe part of the reason for the overall decline in standards is because the PSL clubs have too much power over the game.

Most of the funds fed into the game benefit the top clubs mainly. A better model would see the funds ploughed in from the bottom, giving the football pyramid a solid foundation.

This would foster community awareness and with stronger involvement across the board at grass-roots level you are more likely to develop a proper football culture that will provide continuity, sustainability and excellence.

Coppola is a former professional footballer, administrator and coach.