First 11 FC’s heavy 1–-4 defeat to Super Stars FC has left coach Kaizer Zuke lamenting more than just missed opportunities.

For him, the loss at Altrec Sports Complex on Sunday, was rooted in deeper challenges, player readiness, punctuality, and the role of parents in nurturing young footballers.

Zuke admitted that his tactical plans were undone before the whistle even blew. “In the first half, we went onto the pitch unprepared, not with the line-up I had planned. Some players only arrived when the game was about to start.”

The coach’s frustration stems from what he describes as a recurring problem of parents prioritising household errands over football commitments. “We are let down by parents who allow their children to arrive late. A parent will want a child to first run errands before coming to the game. As a coach, you can’t reprimand the child because they will say it was their parent. That’s the problem.”

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Beyond the scoreboard, he worries that the loss reflects bad on him as a coach. “Spectators assume I don’t know what I’m doing, but I do. I’m just defeated by circumstances I can’t control.”

However, parent Vusi Madisha, who came to support his son, said that many parents see youth football as just recreational, rather than a pathway to professional careers. “Most parents don’t take sports seriously. Even in our time, we played football, but I don’t recall ever seeing a professional scout checking local talent.”

He revealed that he had to send his daughter to a better-resourced school to improve her chances of being noticed. He said, at a local level, opportunities are scarce, adding that if parents believed their children had a real chance to break into professional football, they would take more responsibility.

Madisha acknowledged the importance of parental support, but stressed that young players need professional structures and investment. “In this environment, most parents do not take sports seriously.

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This problem stems from our time as players, we played football, but I don’t recall ever seeing a professional scout coming to check the local talent.”

Madisha stressed that there needs to be systems that make football more than just a pastime, but a sport where children’s dreams of becoming professional football players have clear pathways.

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