Have your soccer say!South African soccer fans are in mourning after Bafana Bafana failed to qualify for the 2006 World Cup in Germany. We know that almost every Numsa member is a soccer fan. Now is the time for you to have your say. In the next Numsa News, we will publish a full page of your letters and advice to SAFA and send a copy of Numsa News to them. Your letter should answer the question: What must SAFA do in the run up to 2010. Below, Pite Mogoje gets the soccer ball rolling!
THE South African national soccer team has been performing badly of late, missing a plane to Germany World Cup 2006 in the process. Perhaps this is a blessing in disguise – the South African Football Association can now use this “painful opportunity” to prepare the team thoroughly for SA World Cup 2010.SA’s big and rich teams, Kaizer Chiefs, Orlando Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns should be leading by example but they are not. SA has a chronic shortage of strikers, let me say “terrific goal hunters” and the big teams rely heavily on players from other parts of Africa to fill-in these positions. For example, Zambia’s Collins Mbesuma single-handedly delivered the 2005/2006 League Championship to Naturena, broke Fannie Madida’s record and left the country for greener pastures. Mbesuma will respond to the call to play for Zambia and not for South Africa. What these big teams are not realising is that they are preparing foreign goalkeepers and strikers for their own countries and not for SA. This problem must be rectified now or else we will be crying tears come 2010.
Where to from here?There is lots of talent in the small towns, rural areas and even farms, a Football Talent Research Programme can help address the problem of goal hunters and goalkeepers in the country. By giving us the rights to host the World Cup, FIFA recognizes the fact that we have world class facilities. As a result, a hunt for SA World Cup 2010 stars that are capable of putting smiles back on our faces is a must.To get the job done SAFA does not have a problem of sponsorship. And the “Big Three” rich teams, Kaizer Chiefs, Orlando Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns must also help in the hunt by using local talent and local coaches more prominently. The development programme with some incentives for promising young players can produce desirable results. Brazil, a South American team that qualifies for every Football World Cup Tournament, does not use foreign coaches and this might be one of their recipes for success. We will remember that after winning it three times in a row, in 1970 Brazil became the permanent owners of the Jules Trimet Trophy (the FIFA World Cup Trophy)
Can we emulate France?Daily, papers are telling us that by failing to qualify, SAFA or Bafana Bafana have lost R 40 million in appearance fees. They forgot to mention an astonishing performance – that France failed to qualify for World Cup 1994 in the United States even though they hosted FIFA World Cup in 1998. They used this chance to prepare thoroughly for World Cup ’98 in their country and then went on to thrash us 3-0 on their way to winning the World Cup.It is painful to accept our absence in Germany’s World Cup 2006 but SAFA must use this opportunity fruitfully: to prepare for SA World Cup 2010 and no excuses please!
What must be investigatedí˜ Our strikers cannot score a goal from a distance, it happens very seldom.í˜ They need to be nearer the goal-mouth before we can we can see the ball behind the net. í˜ Our goalkeepers cannot deal with crosses, they are easily exposed by crosses.í˜ Brazilian strikers can score goals from different angles – what is their secret?After finding answers to the above mentioned points then we can confidently face our opponents and bring back the memories of Ace Ntsoelengoe, Teenage Dladla, Scara Sono, Patson Banda – do you remember these football greats? Ace Ntsoelenge is the only SA player whose name appears in the American Football Hall of Fame.
Yiba nezwi ngebhola lezinyawo!IBafana Bafana ihlulekile ukukwazi ukungenela iNdebe Yomhlaba ka-2006 eJalimane. Kufanele yenzeni iSAFA ukulungiselela unyaka ka-2010? KuNumsa News elandelayo, sizoshicilela ikhasi eligcwele lezincwadi zenu nezaluleko eziya kuSAFA bese sibathumelela nekhophi yeNumsa News. Thumela incwadi yakho (engeqi emagameni angama-300) ku: Numsa News, PO Box 260483 Excom 2023)
Síª jou síª oor sokker!Bafana Bafana het nie daarin geslaag om vir die Wíªreldbeker in Duitsland in 2006 te kwalifiseer nie. Wat moet SAFA in die oploop na 2010 doen? In die volgende Numsa News sal ons “˜n volle bladsy van julle briewe en advies aan die SAFA publiseer. Ons sal ook “˜n kopie van Numsa News aan hulle stuur. Stuur jou brief (nie meer as 300 woorde) aan: Numsa News, Posbus 260483, Excom 2023
Hlahisa maikutlo a hao ditabeng tsa bolo ya maoto!Bafana Bafana e hlolehile ho tshwaneleha ho kena tlhodisanong ya Mohope wa Bolo ya Maoto wa Lefatshe wa 2006o tla be o le mane Germany .Na SAFA e lokela ho etsa eng jwalo ka ha re lebile selemong sa 2010?Koranteng e latelang ya Numsa News, re tla hlahisa leqephe le felletseng la mangolo le dikeletso tsa lona ho SAFA e be re ba romela khopi ya Numsa News .Romela lengolo la hao (la mantswe a sa feteng a 300ho: Numsa News, PO Box 260483 Excom 2023)