Black Leopards’ director Chief Thidiela has responded to the reckless ‘anti-Venda’ remarks by Cape Town Spurs coach Shaun Bartlett.
After guiding CT Spurs back to the DStv Premiership on Wednesday, Bartlett expressed his delight at how they would never have to play in Venda for PSL matches.
They played Leopards, VFA and TTM at Thohoyandou Stadium last season. The same clubs also had to travel 2000km to honour their away fixtures against Spurs in the Western Cape.
NO VENDA NO CRY FOR SHAUN BARTLETT
“I’ve got no more trips to Venda, thanks, Mr. [Ronnie] Schloss. No more trips to Venda, and hopefully no DStv Premiership in Venda. We can play in good stadiums now, I think that, for me, is the reward for these players,” said Shaun Bartlett.
But many in the northern part of South Africa did not take kindly to the comments, including Leopards official Chief Thidiela who described Bartlett’s comments as reckless and geographic discrimination.
CHIEF THIDIELA RESPONDS TO CAPE TOWN SPURS COACH’S COMMENTS
“I am very disappointed with the comments from such a professional hero we have in South Africa. A person who also left our shores to go play overseas. I am sure there is some level of discrimination that he has experienced. But for him [Shaun Bartlett] to be uttering such words is very disappointing,” said Thidiela.
“Football is a unifier, it’s not like Golf or Tennis which is only played by the elite. For him to be talking specifically about that one particular area, where football is mostly supported is ignorant.
“He must also be able to understand that it’s a rural area. The presence of professional teams there helps with the socio-economic growth of the area.
“The teams there don’t play in an empty stadium, what is the point of being in a City and then you have a team playing in the premier division but with no people that make an impact on the community? You can’t go and segregate other people and say I don’t want to go there? he asked.
“Vhembe is not like Cape Town, we don’t have facilities. Thohoyandou Stadium is definitely not like Cape Town Stadium. But we are saying the little that we have we want to go and do something for our communities. It’s not our fault that we come from a rural area.
“But also him crying about one of two trips that he makes to Thohoyandou. They are crying about one or two trips, but do they ever think about VFA, TTM and Leopards traveling the long distance to go and play away? By the way, the distance from Cape Town to Thohoyandou is the same as the distance from Thohoyandou to Cape Town,” reasoned Thidiela.
“It might not necessarily be xenophobic but there is some sort of segregation or discrimination. A professional person can’t say that. Are you telling me now that teams must start saying that they don’t want to go to Upington? We should be grateful that football is meant to touch each corner of everywhere.”
ON BLACK LEOPARDS RETURNING TO THE PSL
Meanwhile, Thidiela has also told this publication that as a family they still need to sit down and map a way forward on whether they want to continue in professional football.
There have been reports that Black Leopards have concluded a deal to purchase the status of All Stars ahead of next season.
“Before the end of the month we should have made a decision to see what is possible. What we can still do to the community of Limpopo,” he said.
RELATED STORY: Bartlett’s reaction after guiding Cape Town Spurs to the DStv Prem
