THE POLITICS OF RESOURCES IN GLOBAL SPORT: BAFANA IS ON THE PERIPHERY I know this post will certainly rub your furs the wrong way... Also, I am aware that I am no Chika Onyeani Capitalist Nigger but Id dare say it! Well, I thought it is better for some things to be said as they are rather than keeping quiet about them when the writing is on the wall. The solution to South African football crisis is not with development (in townships), as many expects insist, but it perhaps lies in the countrys suburbia. To provoke a heated argument in a shebeen, I would start my argument this way: Gents, as you know that Bafana Bafana and South African football have been struggling for while, there are so many things that have been said that can help us to win things like the World Cup or the Afcon. One of the problems that always prop up when the state of football gets discussed is that there is no development at grassroots. Others complain that there is no kasie flavor anymore - meaning our players cannot dribble or juggle the ball like Mlungisi Professor Ngubane or Jomo Sono used to do. Lack of shibobos and tsamayas is also blamed for less crowds in the countrys stadiums, except when big but strangely equal dull derby matches between Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs play. Of course, there is nothing special about these matches anymore. But two things are not clear to me. First, boring European leagues tend to attract large crowds week in week out. Yes, they appear to have strong development at low levels. Again, this development has no kasie favor and I hardly see players do all the mentioned above. In fact, I see that their national teams are equally good. Europe, not just all of the continent, has won all three previous editions of the FIFA World Cup: Italy (2006), Spain (2010) and Germany (2014). Most former east-bloc countries have the same predicament as the whole world though. European football dominates the world. Even players that we call Brazilians, Argentinians, Ivorians, Ghanaians or Iranians ply their trade in (western) Europe. Not only that, most of these lads literally grow up playing football in Europe, with fewer exceptions. The success rate of, say, an over 20 South African/ Burkina Faso player succeeding in top European leagues is highly improbable. Zero is actually the right response. Two, soccer in South Africa although played by the majority is in a worst state when compared to sporting codes that the white minority dominate. South Africa compares favorably with other top rugby playing nations, for example. The Springboks have won the World Cup on two occasions in 1995 and 2007. The South Africa national cricket team is amongst best sides in the world. The South Africa national soccer team in recent years fails to qualify for any tournament there is to be played, except when they gain an automatic qualification as hosts like in 2010 FIFA World Cup and 2013 Afcon tournaments. In both instances, they did not disappoint in doing what they know best, to disappoint. Just last weekend SAFA announced a South African as a head coach to replace another South African. There is a blue lie that Shakes Mashaba will improve the fortunes of South African football. Again, the mistake is in believing is in believing that we will start winning when we play football our way. Reality is that global football has silently assumed a new character. It is not the sport for the poor. Ask Brazilians and Mexicans. Although many would hate to admit it, the Brazilian national team has gotten lighter and lighter in recent years. Joga bonito from favelas appears to be disappearing fast - upper class kids like Kaka have replaced dark skinned players. Even the fan base in stadiums during the 2014 World Cup was largely white. Morenos and mulattos were busy burning tyres in the street blaming a white government for exclusion and wasting billions on building stadiums. What is important a boring but exceptionally and technically superior German team embarrassed Brazil by scoring seven goals against the once invincible global soccer power. And also conquered Argentinians in the final. The reason is simple: everything about Germany is Vorsprung durch Technik! Their cars are great. Their economy is superb. Their team is super efficient, bar Thomas Müllers foiled free kick against Algeria! Compare this with falling bridges in Brazil and a very atrocious Argentinian economy. Then the German superiority isnt surprising. Back to South African football. Kids in suburbs play exceptional football, not what some would call appetizing kind of football but technically sound and straightforward. The likes of Mark and Neil Tovey, Shane MacGregor, George Kourmantarakis et.al are examples of members of suburbia football. Most of the suburbia kids are white who love the sport but they may be considered good enough to play for Chiefs or Pirates. Many of them abandon the sport as they grow old but some emigrate without kicking a ball in the PSL to play in lower leagues in England. They earn a good living from amateur clubs like Doncaster, Lancasterinshire and Hartlepool. Thus, many go unnoticed besides a few emerge out of nowhere such as Dean Furman, Mark Gonzalez (Chile), Sean Dundee, and others that we are yet to know about to feature for top sides or Bafana. What is clear is that success in sport has to do with resources. White communities are endowed with cash and world class facilities, maybe not so much skill. It is for that white athletes excel in sports like golf, tennis, cricket and rugby. Contrast this situation with dry and semi-arid pitches and general poverty in townships, there is little or no hope that Bafana can ever beat Germany to become world champions. Unfortunately, the more I state this awkward position I find myself venturing into other areas of social endeavor, not just sport. Like soccer that is predominantly black, township businesses and schools are derelict and abandoned. They cant compete with their suburban counterparts withstanding the numbers. Soccer is an outcome of a social effort, by a society that struggles to find its footing in economy, politics, education. How can Bafana win when we dont push ourselves to win in other social areas? Suburbs rather than townships seem to the hold key to our soccer fortunes. Whites rather than blacks seem to the hold key to our soccer fortunes. Terrible!
Posted on: Wed, 30 Jul 2014 06:50:26 +0000
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