What was Pitso to do with that batch of second rate players?
ONE MORE DOWN
SO Pitso Mosimane is gone? But before we open the bubbly, shouldn t
’ we pause to think about the other party s role in the dismal performance
’ of the national team the players?
– Are they blameless? The truth is that the 15 coaches we ve been through since our re
’ admittance to the international fold are, by no stretch of the imagination, the last of our tally. We ll keep changing coaches
’ like socks if the players department does not improve.
Except for Steven Pienaar and, lately, Tshepo Masilela, the best the country boasts is not good enough.
You will have noted that Bevan Fransman is back from Israel. The reason isn t political or that
’ the Israelis didn t like the shape of
’ his nose. The truth is he s not something
’ they can hold onto talent-wise.
Maybe we should start at the very beginning: Benni McCarthy s fallout with
’ English side West Ham is the perfect point of departure.
His weight problems compounded a decline the English side had seen in Bafana Bafana s
’ all-time leading goalscorer.
He came back to Orlando Pirates not because he s particu
’ larly patriotic. No English team was going to sign him. This cannot be any coach s fault and certainly not
’ Mosimane s.
’
Yes, Mosimane might not have been the ideal man to lead Bafana but he can t take the blame for
’ underperforming players. While on Pitso, wasn t there a
’ chorus that chanted his name after Carlos Alberto Parreira departed our shores? When did he suddenly become Bafana s biggest liability?
’ Our best players feature nowhere in the world s leagues.
’ Where they try to make their mark, they are quickly shown to be inept. Former skipper Aaron Mbazo
“” Mokoena is another example. He faded like candlelight in the wind.
When Bongani Khumalo left Supersport United for Tottenham Hotspur, he was a star, just like another gem before him Mbulelo
– Oldjohn Mabizela. Khumalo is “” now, at best, a classic benchwarmer.
Our domestic league should be used to gauge the country s
’ chances at challenging successfully for world honours or, before this ambitious drive, to be the best on the continent.
The highest goalscorer is a 34year-old with a meager 20 goals to his name. Where is the future of SA football, when other countries are grooming teenagers for this role? Bafana s best hopes rest on the
’ old shoulders of Siyanbonga Nomvethe.
Remember a player called Bernard Parker? Maybe you don t
’ and you re not to blame.
’ If Andile Jali and Siphiwe Tshabalala are the creme of our league, why is no one interested in their services?
Forget the coaches for a while and look at the playing department because, unless this is attended to, Gordon Igesund will also get it where the chicken got it in the
– neck, like the others before him.