Chris Dube
IT would be lack of protocol for me not to congratulate Mamelodi Sundowns for winning the ABSA Premiership. Their signature wave is a seven and this is their seventh title.
It only makes sense that the team that needs the money the least wins.
Gauteng dominance was capped by Bidvest Wits securing second spot.
Talking of dominance, Sundowns dominated pretty much the entire season and can now say they have dominated the South Africa football during the PSL era as it were. What they cannot say is they dominate Africa football. A couple of first round exits are all they have to show for their forays
into Africa.
In fact, apart from that lone win by Orlando Pirates and their subsequent dances with two finals, South African have been a failure of note in African club competitions. This is made worse by our constant boasting of being the richest league in Africa. Some replace the word richest with the word best but that’s just delusional talk.
Indeed if one were to go around SA one would find that most of our high schools have better facilities than a fair number of clubs around Africa. These are clubs that actually play in the top leagues of their particular countries.
Richness in resources has not translated to success for Mzansi’s finest football clubs.
The reason for this, in my very humble opinion, is found in something I was once told by a man who now coaches one of these clubs that go into Africa just mark the register.
“Respect yourself, respect the game and respect the opponent,” Steve Komphela told me in one of my highly educational visits to Bethlehem. Yes, Bethlehem.
I don’t get to see or talk to Mr Komphela these days, he has moved up in the world. Anyway, I digress. Komphela was responding to a question I had put to him about why our players seem to be complacent.
Now, these clubs that find themselves in the CAF Champions League or CAF Confederation Cup seem to have no respect whatsoever for the competitions let alone their opponents.
A brief look at this year’s representatives. Ajax Cape Town successfully failed to communicate with a Portuguese speaking club from Angola. The Ajax head coach is called …Rodger De Sa.
Hands up those who spotted the Portuguese in that surname. Now hands up those who think Ajax even wanted to be in that Confederation Cup to begin with. Comrades, put your hands down for you are out of order!
Kaizer Chiefs had their 39 365 982(read out loud) fans in some hope after beating a team of part-timers before showing their true colours against a team who cannot win a match against social soccer teams back in their country. Soundly beaten at home.
Now you must take note the loss at FNB was in the absence of a visibly disappointed Bobby Motaung. Bobby usually patrols the tunnel area as ‘must win’ games i.e the Soweto derby are being played. If Chiefs were disappointed, they were brilliant in hiding it.
Sundowns make all the right noises about playing in Africa. Patrice Motsepe wants to win in Africa. Pitso Mosimane certainly sounds to me like he wants to win it BUT can the same be said for his squad of players?
Coming from the richest league does not make you better than the opponent you’re to play. Resources do not result in success. If respect was shown to the opponent, then with all due respect to them, Medeama SC of Ghana would not have had a single shot at goal against Sundowns last weekend.
The less said about Wits’ showing the better. Between the coach bemoaning the fixture congestion and his players calling one of the biggest clubs in Tanzania ‘an unknown team’ we have ourselves total disrespect of the game and the opponent.
