SOCCER:Andrew Muchineripi
AS the South African Football Association (Safa) seeks solutions to its man= y p roblems, they could do much worse than phone 643-3341 and ask for Mr Trevor= Ph
illips.
The chief executive officer of the Premier Soccer League (PSL) may not have= al
l the answers to all the questions, but the former pharmaceutical company e= xec
utive has cured many problems dogging professional football. As the PSL beg= ins
the second half of its season this weekend, how pleasant it is to record t=
hat
13 of the 18 clubs have completed their 17-match first-round programme.
Among the other five, Supersport United, Orlando Pirates, Hellenic and Witb= ank
Aces have just one outstanding fixture, while Vaal Professionals have a tw=
o-m
atch backlog.
This situation would hardly merit mention among the professionally run nati= ona
l championships of Europe, but it represents a major step forward for South= Af
rican football.
One need go back only six months to recall the crazy climax to the Coca-Col= a C hallenge Cup with Pirates having to fulfil seven fixtures after almost ever= y o ther club had finished its programme. The Buccaneers, inevitably, failed to= ov
ertake leaders Kaizer Chiefs, but of far greater significance was the fact = tha
t a test of football ability had turned into a test of stamina and strength= in
depth.=20
Phillips has succeeded because he possesses a strong personality, knows wha= t h e is doing, and is neutral (members of the A and B teams have faced discipl= ina
ry charges within the last week.) He has constantly stressed since his arri= val
last August that one does not need a degree in brain surgery to run South =
Afr
ican football, just some business acumen and a large dose of common sense.= =20
Fixture backlogs have been a sore on the face of professional football for = lon
ger than this correspondent can remember, yet one physically-formidable Eng= lis
hman solved the chaos within a few months.
Another example of the no-nonsense attitude emanating from the Parktown off= ice
s of the PSL is the reaction to Moroka Swallows’s ridiculous request to swi= tch
their clash with Orlando Pirates on Sunday from Ellis Park to FNB Stadium.
Swallows argued that the grass at Transvaal rugby HQ was too long after los= ing
at home to Vaal Professionals last Saturday. Needless to say, if the Birds=
ha
d won the grass would have been just fine. In the past there would have bee= n e ndless telephone calls and several meetings and Swallows would probably hav= e h ad their way. Not any more. Apart from Phillips, PRO Andrew Dipela has deve= lop
ed into a=20 tough administrator.
It was the former National Soccer League spokesman who pulled the grass fro= m u nder Swallows’ feet, telling them in no uncertain terms that Ellis Park was= th
eir home ground and that is where the match would be played.=20
The PSL is succeeding in other areas, too. Phone calls get answered promptl= y ( if a little abruptly), Phillips does not spend all day at so-called meeting= s l ike most other soccer officials, and promises are kept. While the BP Top 8 = and
Coca-Cola Cup are no more, a new knockout competition reportedly carrying =
R5-
million prize money is coming and the Castle Premiership carries a record R= 500
000 first
prize.=20
The future of professional football looks bright although one must hasten t= o u rge caution as false dawns have been part of the South African football lan= dsc
ape for too long.
What Safa should note is how a small group of reasonably-paid professionals= ca
n run an operation without many hiccups. Let local equivalents of Phillips = be=20
found to steer the mother body on a safe course.
While praising the PSL for fixing so many leaks, it would be foolish to pap= er=20
over cracks that remain. A chain is as strong as its weakest link, and the = lea
gue has 16 of them.
The truth, however unpalatable it may be, is that if you take away Chiefs a= nd=20
Pirates, there is virtually no crowd-pulling power, especially with Amazulu= an
d Sundowns in the doldrums.
Solving that problem will keep Phillips, Dipela and company busy for some t= ime
to come, but they will surely find time to answer the Safa call. We trust =
the
arrogant aloofness of the past has disappeared and assistance will be soug=
ht.