‘Bafana’s failures a reflection of ailing Safa’
Safa needs to identify football-playing schools and support them in nurturing talent as the School of Excellence alone is not enough, says Rhoo.
Lucas ‘Rhoo’ Radebe believes the success of the Springboks in retaining the Rugby World Cup is evidence enough of a well-managed team as well as rugby structures and administration.
“The same cannot be said of Bafana Bafana which is evidence enough of poorly-run football structures in the country and maladministration within the South African Football Association itself. It’s not surprising that the failing administration of Safa is now filtering down to Bafana Bafana – hence their disastrous showing in continental competitions and World Cup qualifiers of late – leading to the side being beaten by minnows such as Botswana, Eswatini and Namibia,” Radebe said.
Rhoo said Safa should take a leaf out of the book of the success of the Springboks as well-run and functioning structures equal to success down the line as this filters through to all the projects, including the Bafana Bafana squad.
“If the head is not functioning properly, this will automatically affect the body, and Safa as the head of all things football needs to function at an optimal level so that the same happens to its body structures,” Rhoo told Alex News in an interview during the finals of Discovery Alex U12 Schools League at the Altrek Sports Facility.
With growing calls for Safa president Dr Danny Jordaan to step down, Alex News asked Rhoo whether he would stand in the race for Safa presidency and he retorted; ‘Of course. I have always made my intentions clear as I want to play a role in the rebuilding of our football.”
Radebe called on Safa to invest more in schools and grassroots football such as this Discovery tournament in order to tap into talent at an early age and nurture it through the ranks until it blossoms.
“What we are doing in our football currently is that we live it too late to develop and nurture talent. We should start with these children in kindergarten and track their progress all the way. The talent pool is there, and we should ensure nothing falls between the cracks,” Rhoo said.
He pointed to the likes of Springboks skipper Siyamthanda Kolisi, whose rugby talent was spotted early on, and the powers that be in rugby took him from the township to the best rugby-playing school to continue his talent development and here he is today.
“It’s not rocket science but a desire and willingness to do what is right for the sport at the right time. The School of Excellence alone is not enough, and we need more schools to be identified as good football development schools and nurture our talent there as well,” he said.
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