By Thandisizwe Mgudlwa
BAFANA BAFANA have missed out on the participation of CHAN 2018 and
the upcoming FIFA World Cup 2018 in Russia to kick start on June 14 –
July 15.
It is in that spirit that a proper and broad debate of Vision 2022 must be entertained.
According to the South Africa Football Association (SAFA), “Vision
2022 is a fundamental rebuilding of the structures of SAFA at all levels
to create the conditions that will bring about the sustained
international success of our national teams.
We have set our sights on a long-term development plan to achieve the
goal of always being in the top 3 of the African rankings, and in the
top 20 of the World rankings.
10% of the South African population must play football. Therefore, we
need to redouble our efforts to: Launch a vibrant schools football
programme; and Strengthen women’s football significantly.”
Since the days of Clive Barker, by far the best coach Bafana Bafana has ever had. Things have rather turned sour.
Further, the 1996 AFCON winning team, consisted of very experienced
players who had achieved a lot in their careers prior to presenting the
national team.
Hence, it was easier for Barker to motivate the team; this was on top of Barker’s tactical and technical prowess.
On the other hand, Barker’s track record as a top coach and the players were automatically and naturally inspired.
And remembering that also in 1996, Orlando Pirates became Africa’s
most powerful club after securing the Africa Super Cup, and becoming the
first southern African club in 1995 to win the prestigious African
Champions Cup, at club level.
Not forgetting other Bafana Bafana achievements, like the silver
medal in AFCON 1998, a bronze in 2000 and the African/Asian Cup glory in
1999.
Since 1994 – 1996, Barker won all the Four Nations tournaments we participated in.
After Barker was given the reigns. He quickly turned Bafana Bafana’s
fortunes around. Barker establishing the team as an African powerhouse,
easily topping their 1996 Nations Cup qualifying group in 1995.
Then South Africa were awarded the rights to host the 1996 tournament
after initial hosts Kenya withdraw. Bafana Bafana went on to win the
tournament on home soil, beating Tunisia 2-0 in the final.
In 1997 Barker ensured that South Africa would make their debut World
Cup appearance for the World Cup 1998 which was hosted and won by
France.
Barker was sacked in December 1997. And he missed out on an
opportunity to defend his 1996 Nation Cup glory and also missed out on
leading the team at its first World Cup in France.
But Barker’s achievements, had confirmed that South Africa had
arrived, not only on the African stage, but internationally as well.
Also in 1996, Bafana Bafana, had been honoured by FIFA, with its FIFA
Best Mover of the Year Award, signaling that South Africa was the best
footballing country in the world in 1996.
During Barker’s reign of Bafana Bafana, South Africa was ranked NO 16
in the World and NO 1 in Africa. Today, they are NO 81 in the World and
18 in Africa.
Most soccer commentary has indicated that after Barker’s exit as the
South African senior football men’s national team, the standard of
Bafana Bafana went down from the days of Clive Barker at the helm.
Turning back to the current era, a lot has changed.
In fact, South Africa is not longer the most feared football nation in Africa as it once was.
These days, however, soccer commentators and experts regularly and
correctly predict that South Africa would be knocked out in the groups
stages of a tournament. That is if they manage to qualify for that
tournament in the first place.
And they are spot on, since the departure of Barker as Bafana Bafana
coach, South Africa has only qualified once, for the 2002 World Cup
under, Carlos Queiroz, who by the way was sacked before the start of the
2002 World Cup.
In 2010, South Africa qualified for the World Cup as hosts. And again
they were knocked out in the groups stages just like their two previous
World Cup appearances.
Unlike many other former Bafana Bafana coaches with achievements to
show; and who have had more than one spell with Bafana Bafana, Barker is
the only coach not to be given another chance. The question is WHY?
Just days after Bafana Bafana’s early exit in the 1997 Confederations
Cup, a caller in the Radio Metro, now METROFM, Sports Show alleged that
some of the players were asked by certain SAFA officials to
underperformed so that Barker could be discredited and fired.
And a big question that must be on top of the minds of South African
soccer ‘gods’, is what is to be done to turn things around and make
Bafana Bafana Africa’s most powerful footballing nation again?
The South African Football Association (SAFA), responsible for Bafana
Bafana, now needs to find the same magic, and at least innovation shown
by the then SAFA boss, the late great Solomon ‘Sticks’ Morewa, when
Bafana Bafana became African champions.
A first by a southern African country. Zambia subsequently became the
second southern African nation to lift the Nations Cup when they won
the AFCON 2012.
Morewa was controversially sacked after suspicious findings during
the Government appointed Pickard Commission. Morewa sacking would later
prove too costly for Bafana Bafana and South African football at large.
To answer the question of making Bafana Bafana the best again:
# SAFA must understand that it beats the purpose of having a senior
national men’s football team, when it boasts about the progress of the
junior national teams, when Bafana Bafana are not progressing.
# SAFA has to see that this unbalanced performance scale would
ultimately demotivate juniors; and, up and coming players from achieving
their level best if they know that Bafana Bafana are not progressing
but digressing from the 1996 AFCON glory.
# A more professional approach in appointing coaches, should be that
all coaches appointed for the country’s national teams including women
national teams, must be coaches that have won a FIFA/CAF recognized
tournaments and/or awards.
In this case, Barker should make a return to the national team and be
given the right to select his assistance coaches and technical team of
his choice.
# The senior coach must be encouraged to appoint a professional
technical staff, consisting of at least 15 qualified soccer experts with
noteworthy achievements in the game either as player and/or coaches,
inline with the international benchmarks.
These experts should also consist of former Bafana Bafana coaches, like Jomo Sono, Trott Moloto, Shakes Mashaba among others.
# Only the best performing players must do duty for the national team at all times, irrespective of how old a player maybe.
In other words, Bafana Bafana must never be a platform for developing
players. Bafana Bafana must always be the ultimate benchmark for any
South African footballer to aspire to play for.
Only the best performing players who are capable of producing a winning result must be allowed to play.
# Most importantly though, is that SAFA must in the process of
re-igniting the most loved sport in South Africa, broaden and widely
sell the programme, VISION 2022, to all corners of the country.
This would have to be backed by a mass national participation
football educational and training programme at all levels of the game
and complemented by multiple football tournaments nationally to give all
players enough opportunity to develop and reach their full potential.
This must be a process that will get all football stakeholders and
lovers, be it spectators, administrators, players, coaches, sponsors
etc, to come back into the game on a fulltime basis.
And in the process take the beautiful game to the highest of levels.
This must be done for the sake of football and the nation.
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