Andrew Muchineripi Soccer comment
One wag interrupted a prolonged perod of silence at Loftus Stadium in Pretoria on Wednesday night to ask a companion what the difference was between the Titanic and South African soccer.
The Titantic cannot sink any further, came the sharp reply to much laughter, and while it may have been a little harsh, no one was rushing to defend a sport that has plumbed the depths recently.
It was sad but, perhaps, inevitable that embattled Premier Soccer League (PSL) chief executive Joe Ndhlela was suspended in midweek for bringing the professional wing of soccer into disrepute.
A cloud has been hanging over the former employee of state transport company Transnet since he succeeded Englishman Trevor Phillips in January, and now the chickens have come home to roost.
What angered this humble member of the Muchineripi clan was the arrogance displayed by Ndhlela during his court appearance and at an impromptu media conference.
To dismiss his R20 000 bail as “small change” showed a distinct lack of sensitivity toward millions of people in our beautiful land to whom a R5 coin is something precious.
“That kind of money is like change to me. This is nothing. I thought the court were going to come with a much bigger amount,” he told journalists after facing charges of fraud and corruption.
Shame on you, Ndhlela. Let us not hear any more of this arrogant rubbish when you appear in court again on December 13, when a trial date is expected to be fixed.
More verbal garbage followed at a media conference just after National Soccer League (the controlling body of the PSL) chair Leephile Taunyane announced Ndhlela had been suspended pending a disciplinary hearing.
“I don’t see this as a suspension, but as a holiday,” he said. “I will use this time to rest and enjoy my break. The contents of the suspension are rather too broad and vague and I will seek clarity from the chairman.”
Well, Ndhlela can rest easy in the knowledge that he has been suspended on full pay, which is fair enough given that we live in a democratic country where one is innocent until proven guilty. But where is the humility?
Loyalty is often a commodity with a short lifespan in South Africa soccer and I sense that some big supporters of Ndhlela are, if not exactly abandoning ship, making enquiries as to where the lifeboats are.
Jomo Sono, former Orlando Pirates star and owner-coach of Premiership club Jomo Cosmos, has been a close ally of Ndhlela in recent months as he opposed big guns Irvin Khoza of Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Motaung of Chiefs.
“I am on record as saying that I will not defend him [Ndhlela] if he has done something wrong. I would be the first to say he must go,” declared the Black Prince this week.
“There are certain people who want to be the most powerful in soccer and all this is definitely affecting the game. Maybe I need to take a back seat and quit the game. I don’t want to lose my life.”
Sono appears as fond of Khoza and Motaung as a vegetarian is of a butchery. His unexplained dislike of Motaung is long-standing; his fallout with Khoza more recent and strange given the warm relationship between Cosmos and Pirates.
I tend to have some sympathy towards the big two as they have actually achieved success while many around them seem more obsessed with jealousy than matching them.
Khoza transformed Pirates from a club with a past but no future into African champions within five years while Motaung runs the most professional club among the 18 in the PSL.
What a pity they cannot get on with Sono, whom I admire for being a true lover of the game. Wherever I go to watch a game, Jomo is there provided his own club are not in action.
One curse hanging over South African soccer is that too many high-ranking officials seem far more concerned with their image and perks than attending the needs of the game.
I cannot recall the last time I saw Taunyane at a match, save perhaps for a cup final. How someone can be chair of a football organisation and not watch games regularly is beyond my admittedly minute brain.
A cartoon in a mass-circulation daily this week had an aide of Minister of Sports and Recreation Ngconde Balfour telling his boss that things cannot get any worse. Care to have a small bet, sir?