SEDIBENG.- Zakes’ Sports Corner is not into New Year’s Resolutions, but where to from here as far as our sports are concerned in Sedibeng?

In case somebody is not aware, we are already in the first week of the year, or should I say of 2025. The festive season glamour and celebrations are over and it is time to face the reality of transforming the development of sport in this region. This region has been stuck for the past 10 years as far as the development of our sports in the field of play.

There has been too much talking without action.

Yours truly self-appointed Minister of Sports, otherwise known as Zakes’ Sports Corner has some advice for the sports administrators in this region – SHUT UP and do the job!

Zakes’ Sports Corner attended this so-called kasi soccer tournament in December and there was a lot of talking about what football people want to see this year. Some of the things they told Zakes’ Sports Corner are that there is a serious need for the Vaal to have a representative in top-flight football. Really?!

They have been saying this for the past 20 years but nothing has happened. The truth is that despite the rich talent we have in the Vaal region, we can’t produce professional football clubs. It remains simply talking, talking, and talking without any action. No doubt, the Vaal has talent. No one can dispute this, but our biggest problem as a region is to win, grow up, and stay together. It is everyone for himself and to HELL with others. This is what our regional football is all about.

There was talent galore at the Pooe Festive Tournament, but after the tournament, those youngsters went nowhere. The only thing that is still being said is, “the Vaal is blessed with talent”.

Excuse me, by this time, the world knows that the Vaal Triangle has talent when it comes not only to football but other sporting codes as well. It is high time football people stop this talking and start doing something about our situation in this region!

There is no way we will have top-flight football in this region as long as people who run the sport don’t sit around a table and start processing ideas about what needs to be done to have a professional football club. Pooe Festive Tournament is over, so what? As they say, talk is cheap. The question is where to from here to have a professional football club. Or are we going to wait for the Pooe Festive Tournament to start this topic again?

HELL NO!

Zakes’ Sports Corner challenges all the people involved in regional football in the Vaal to call a Soccer Indaba to discuss this matter. Zakes’ Sports Corner has been saying for quite some time that there is a need to call a Soccer Indaba to discuss our challenges and a way forward.

This region has people like Dr Molefi Oliphant who happens to be SAFA Lifetime President and can help to make this happen.