The spectacular exit of SuperSport United and Ajax Cape Town from the Champions League over the weekend has reinforced the concern that South African football is lagging behind on the continent.
Zimbabwe minnows Monomotapa may have had no money to book their team into a hotel, but they still sent Ajax packing out of the second round of the most prestigious club competition in Africa.
Craig Rosslee’s more affluent Urban Warriors lost 2-1 in Harare to bow out on the away-goal rule. This was after the South Africans’ 3-2 victory in Cape Town three weeks ago became a 4-4 stalemate following the loss in Harare.
PSL defending champions SuperSport also suffered the same fate, a humiliating early exit.
Gavin Hunt was optimistic that his side would overturn the 2-1 loss they had suffered in Uganda but the East Africans had other ideas. Kampala City Council (KCC) forced a 1-1 draw to advance with a 3-2 aggregate at the expense of their more illustrious opponents.
That these flops come on the backdrop of Bafana Bafana’s failure to qualify for the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) is another indictment of South African football. It was embarrassing enough that the hosts of the World Cup will not be at Afcon.
It was hoped Matsatsantsa and the Urban Warriors would provide some international respite for South Africa’s battered image ahead of the Confederations Cup and the World Cup.
It has been a while since South Africa enjoyed success in contiÂnental competitions.
For a trace of good news the clock has to wind back to 1995 when Orlando Pirates won the Champions League. A Clive Barker-coached Bafana Bafana completed the golden era when they captured the Afcon Cup the following year.
Hunt offered some insight to the beleaguered performances of the clubs in the African safari.
‘The question is do clubs really want to play in this expensive competition? It costs about R500 000 just to fulfil some of these away fixtures,†said the SuperSport coach.
Unlike in Europe where the prestige is in winning the Champions League, it appears South African clubs derive more value in clinching the domestic title.
The financial enticement of doing well in the South African league, with a sponsorship of well over
R1,6-billion, is one factor stealing the thunder from the continental competition.
There is only $1-million for the winner on the costly African showpiece. SuperSport pocketed a whopping R10-million when they won the league last season and are on course to bank the same amount this year. Suffice to say the costs of playing in the PSL are much less.
PSL chief executive Kjetil Siem acknowledges that the monetary incentives in domestic competitions have played a significant part in clubs undermining the ChampÂions League.
‘I know that our clubs focus more on winning the league and some even view the Champions League as a distraction to their title ambitions at home,†said Siem.
He however highlighted the adverse effects of clubs failing on the international stage. ‘Dropping out in the early stages does not portray our league in good light. We are in constant discussions with clubs advising them to take the Champions League seriously,†said the PSL boss.
The fact that SuperSport’s goal came from Mulondo Sikhwhivhilu, a permanent substitute who was among a host of fringe players fielded against KCC, indicates that work still needs to be done to
convince clubs.
Hunt feels that the solution is for Safa to assist the country’s flag bearers financially. ‘I have it on good authority that clubs from other countries are bankrolled by their respective FAs [football associations] in this competition. It is unfair to have to foot your own bill to represent your country,†he said.
Mamelodi Sundowns’ coach Ted Dumitru echoed Hunt’s sentiments. ‘Club owners don’t want to spend money on expensive expeditions. About 80% of the teams in the Champions League are supported by their governments and football federations but we get nothing. We might have sung a different tune if the government supported these teams because it is the country that these teams represent,†he added.
However, this didn’t stop his charges from thrashing AS Vacoas Phoenix of Mauritius 6-1 in the less glamorous CAF Cup on Sunday.
Dumitru also blamed the PSL’s management for the woeful performance of the clubs.
‘The Premier Soccer League also don’t take these games seriously. There are too many home cup matches and PSL games that force coaches and players to focus on the lucrative domestic competitions.â€
Dumitru reiterated that coaches are more interested in doing well in the league and that the future of South African football on the continent is gloomy. ‘I do not see a local team repeating the 1995 achievement of Orlando Pirates. We’re facing another fixture congestion next year. The season has to finish early because Bafana Bafana need to go into camp ahead of [the] 2010 [World Cup] with all other local competitions played,†he said.