The contest should be on the field, not everywhere else, writes Andrew Muchineripi
I am not one to share my troubles with the world. Suffer in silence has long been the motto of the ever-increasing Muchineripi clan, so please forgive me when I make an exception to the rule.
To be frank, I am extremely depressed with football events of late. They tell me you cannot accommodate two bulls in one kraal, and Kaizer Motaung and Jomo Sono certainly seem to agree.
Grow up, gentlemen, so that we do not have any more pitiful situations like “Saddam” standing outside Vosloorus Stadium last Sunday in protest at the ongoing clash of personalities.
I had the privilege of seeing Sono in my native Zimbabwe during the 1970s and he was one great player. I never saw Motaung in action, but friends whose football knowledge I trust assure me he was equally great.
Let Sono consider himself number one. Let Motaung consider himself number one. But let us not act like children fighting over the last sweet. The world is watching us. Let us not give the anti- Africa lobby any more ammunition.
Then we had the spectacle of Premier Soccer League (PSL) officials scoring a spectacular own goal over the twice- postponed Chiefs-Hellenic Castle Premiership fixture.
It was obvious even to this mentally challenged grandfather that Chiefs were going to win the case because the PSL rules state clubs must receive notice of a fixture five working days before it takes place.
Chiefs received notice on a Friday – two working days before the fixture was scheduled for Rand Stadium, which is not even the home ground of the Amakhosi. Have PSL officials taken leave of their senses?
Heightening the Muchineripi blood pressure level was the news that players were dropping out of the Bafana Bafana squad for Saudi Arabia faster than parachutists leaving a plane.
Unfortunately, the ultimate enemy of humble scribes like me – deadlines – arrived before the match was played, so we will catch up with events in Riyadh next week.
But just when you thought my moaning was over, comes the biggest blow of them all, one that makes the childish games of Jomo and Kaizer irrelevant. A man I grew to admire so much passed away this week.
If Peter Nyama had to decide where he would spend his final minutes on Earth, he could have done a lot worse than choose the largely peaceful, somewhat sleepy Free State town of Bethlehem.
I passed through Bethlehem many times on my way to QwaQwa, where Nyama did so much for so long with so little. Fairway Stars, QwaQwa Stars, Free State Stars. Call them what you like – to me they were always Peter Nyama Stars.
On Sunday afternoon Nyama watched his beloved boys concede a late goal and lose at home to league leaders Sundowns.
Within 48 hours he was dead; struck down at 52 in the prime of his career by an undisclosed illness.
I know his soul will rest in peace, because he was a good man. A sincere man. A gentle yet firm man with a voice so soft that when the volume rose, you knew trouble was just around the corner. We laughed, we groaned, we discussed family and friends, we argued over the merits of 4-4-2 and 3-5-2, we remembered the good old days back in Mbare, we looked ahead and dreamt of Stars winning trophies.
Nyama guided Stars to only one trophy – the 1994 Coca-Cola Cup – but that ranks as a much greater achievement in my eyes than the successes of those who handle the star-studded squads of Chiefs, Orlando Pirates and Sundowns.
Why none of the big-name Gauteng clubs ever tried to lure him away from the harsh beauty of the eastern Free State is a mystery.
He proved his ability at the highest level by being part of the 1996 Nations Cup-winning technical team.
They do not make men like “Thunderboots” every day. Not a chance. Which is a pity as we would inhabit a much better world if they did. Nyama won with pride and lost with dignity. That is how I will remember him.
Let me now confess that with just a few paragraphs of my alloted space in your favourite newspaper left, trouble is looming. Big trouble. You see, I have disobeyed my boss.
Realising coverage of the Bafana Bafana match was impossible, the sports editor instructed (sounds nicer than ordered) me to preview the Rothmans Cup quarter- final, first-leg fixtures this weekend.
Tough though he may be, however, he will surely agree that a dark shadow developed this week, a shadow too big to ignore. And it is typical of Free State Stars that their match against Jomo Cosmos will go ahead.
I hope the people of QwaQwa come to Charles Mopeli Stadium on Saturday in larger numbers than usual to stand in silence for 60 seconds and then cheer their heroes for 90 minutes. That is how Peter Nyama would want it.
The following afternoon, those tigers from Tembisa, Classic, host Manning Rangers and giant-killers Hellenic have home advantage against Orlando Pirates. The programme is completed on Wednesday evening when Sundowns visit Celtic.
Due to deadline constraints, the Mail &Guardian was being printed as Bafana Bafana were playing Saudi Arabia