Neal Collinssoccer Bafana Bafana captain Lucas Radebe suffered the indignity of being dropped by Leeds last Saturday just 48 hours before being asked to pick up his Fifa Fair Play award in Rome and already talk of a move to Tottenham Hotspur is gaining momentum.
With Radebe axed to accommodate David O’Leary’s record signing Rio Ferdinand, the word in England is that George Graham, the previous Leeds manager now at Spurs, has been alerted to Rhoo’s unhappiness.
And the 31-year-old, recently voted South Africa’s most popular sportsman, is distinctly unhappy. Having seen the side beaten 3-1 by Leicester when they switched to a three-man central defence to accommodate the 18-million Ferdinand from West Ham the week before, Leeds’s rearguard had returned to its normal shape (Radebe and Jonathan Woodgate having flawless games) in a sensational 1-0 win at multi-millionaires Lazio last Wednesday in the Champions League.
But Saturday saw Radebe dropped for Ferdinand (who had missed the European game because he did not sign in time) and this time Leeds fell 1-0 to unfashionable Southampton.
Radebe is banned for this Saturday’s game against Sunderland after getting a red card last month but says: “I don’t want to spend too much time on the bench at this time of my career. I’ve only got a few years left. I’m not a young man any more, I want to be in the first team. I’d like to think I’ll have 10 more years but that’s 10 years of playing, not sitting on the bench.
“I think the gaffer wanted to rest me but if he wants Woodgate and Ferdinand as his centre-halves that could be a problem. Competition is healthy, it keeps you on your toes, but I won’t be happy not playing. I want the club to do well, obviously because that’s good for me. But I want to be playing every week.”
Although Radebe’s family have settled in Yorkshire, the lure of London has often worked wonders for capital clubs. Radebe admits: “I know George Graham is interested in taking me to Spurs [where England defender Sol Campbell is out of contract at the end of the season]. But I love playing for Leeds. Things are moving in the right direction here, we’re progressing well.
“But my life is built around being a professional footballer; I need to be in the first team. I think the manager will come and tell me if he’s not going to play me, and tell me the reasons why. I respect him and I think he respects me as well and I hope that’s the way we’ll go on.
“I was happy with his reasoning last Saturday. I’d struggled with my ankle during the week and because of that I thought he might leave me out. I wouldn’t query that decision.
“I’ve got two years left on my contract. The club has already spoken to me about a new deal so it isn’t a case of me knocking on the manager’s door but we’ll have to wait and see if that’s going to happen. Obviously if nothing happens, there might be other doors open to me somewhere else.”
O’Leary had best listen to Radebe’s words after all, Ferdinand is by no means the tightest defender in the country and Woodgate (along with team-mate Lee Bowyer) faces a court case over an alleged attack on a man outside a nightclub next month and could face a jail sentence.
After handing Radebe his award for his charity and anti-racism work, Italian Antonio Mattarese, president of Fifa’s security commission, said: “Radebe is not only an excellent player, but a great personality off the pitch and a man with a big heart for children all over the world.”
l Meanwhile, Aston Villa manager John Gregory’s interest in Celta Vigo’s South African striker Benni McCarthy appears to have cooled. He is now chasing the cheaper 8-million signing of Columbian striker Juan Pablo Angel. Gregory, who was thought to be in Spain checking on McCarthy earlier this week, actually flew to Buenos Aires to watch the 25-year-old River Plate striker, who has scored 14 goals in 16 games.