OPINION: Blaming Sundowns for Bafana Bafana’s woes is naive

To think there’s anyone who believes the reason Bafana Bafana is not doing well is because of Mamelodi Sundowns is shocking!

To even imagine that someone thinks Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs’ barren years are all down to Sundowns is equally shocking.

And then you have those who naively believe the likes of Bidvest Wits, Highlands Park, Bloemfontein Celtic and Free State Stars went under because of Sundowns?

It gets one wondering whether the lack of youth development, the sticking issue of coaching courses that aren’t available locally and bad refereeing are all because of Sundowns.

We may as well blame Sundowns for all the challenges bedevilling local football. Sundowns have a squad of almost 40 players. The majority of them that can walk into any starting lineup in the DStv Premiership.

At least five of those came through their youth structures, although two – Sphelele Mkhulise and Cassius Mailula – feature consistently and deliver for the team.

EXCELLENT RECRUITMENT BY SUNDOWNS

And then you have those they recruited from other teams, just like all teams sign players. 

The ability of the Sundowns scouting team to identify the right talents and hand them over to the coaches who bring the best out of them is admirable.

The likes of Mothobi Mvala, Thabiso Kutumela, Neo Maema, Rivaldo Coetzee, Khuliso Mudau, Aubrey Modiba and Grant Kekana were never Bafana regulars before moving to Sundowns.

Quite interesting, very often, when players leave their clubs to join Sundowns, they’re taunted and told they are ending their careers. 

I, personally, am guilty of questioning where Mvala was going to play, Brian Onyango Mandela and even Mudau.

I was so sure they were on their way to bury their careers at Chloorkop. But credit has to be given to Sundowns for constantly improving players.

Sadly, the same can’t be said about many players who’ve moved to other teams. In most cases, they have regressed. 

A few examples are Thulani Hlatshwayo, Siphesihle Ndlovu and Fortune Makaringe, they were never the same after moving to Pirates.

In fact, ‘Tyson’, as Hlatshwayo is affectionately known, lost his Bafana captaincy and place after his move to the Buccaneers.

THE LACK OF CONTINUITY

Understandably so, players moving to other teams have had to work with several coaches as opposed to Sundowns, who have maintained the same coaches even after the departure of Pitso Mosimane in 2020.

Again, they walked into teams were the playing styles or patterns weren’t as defined as Sundowns’. 

The Khama Billiat of Chiefs has not replicated the same form he showed at Sundowns. Clearly, there’s something Sundowns are doing right that their competitors can copy. 

I suppose this negates the argument that Bafana isn’t as competitive because Sundowns are keeping the best players on the terraces.

Have we ever thought about what would happen if more of our young players would move to competitive leagues? 

Back in the day, when the likes of Benni McCarthy and Steven Pienaar moved to Europe in their teens, they came back more solid.

Perhaps we should be thinking in that direction. Add to that, teams need to develop players and bring them into the system the same way Sundowns is doing with Mailula. 

Commendably, Chiefs have given opportunities to the likes of Mdu Shabalala, Samkelo Zwane and Wandile Duba.

One hopes that soon enough, we’ll have strong national teams at youth level, progressing to Bafana. 

That day, the argument of one team killing local football will be a thing of the past.

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