IN terms of the scratched record that is the Bafana Bafana coaching debacle, given the number of high-profile failures before Shakes Mashaba’s, the durable solution stems from the opening line of an old hit that the late Whitney Houston smoothly pushed into our ears and hearts, after its first rendition by fellow musical great George Benson.
There is virtually nothing new to say about how, and why, Bafana coaches eventually have to sing the blues about poor results, because the incomparable Houston in 1985 and compatriot Benson eight years earlier both told us: “I believe the children are our future, teach them well and let them lead the way.”
Music lovers will quickly recognise this line from “The Greatest Love of All”, a timeless song that, according to music history, was recorded by Benson in 1977 as the main theme of boxer Muhammad Ali’s biopic but became more popular after Houston’s cover version.
Basically, hope for a brighter Bafana future can only come with teaching the children well, first the technical elements of the game and then tactical issues.
They will lead the way for future Bafana coaches if this education is delivered to them in a correct manner by those in charge, which has to include the twisting of old mindsets in a way that makes all players embrace the modern game in a comfortable manner that takes into account their natural characteristics.
Actually, this education already exists in the Technical Master Plan (TMP) of the SA Football Association (Safa), which is linked to the less-than-glorious organisation’s “Vision 2022” project.
But one sees considerable room for pressure to be put on Safa to make meat of the plan across all regions.
The plan exists because of work done by scholastic men like Ted Dumitru and Simon Ngomane, and the key deliverer at the moment is former Bafana skipper Neil Tovey, who is the technical director of Safa.
It was poetic that Dumitru’s death in May came after the Romanian-born “soccer scientist” and adopted son of Mzansi soil had finally convinced football leaders following decades of trying that we needed our own football philosophy, or playing style, that suited local conditions while adhering to international demands.
Now, Tovey and company must put petrol in their football development tanks, print the amended coaching manuals at lightning speed and spread it in biblical proportions to all corners of the country.
Though the TMP is available for reading on the Safa website at present, it might be a good idea for Tovey and company to embark on a national roadshow to make sure all amateur and professionals sections become more aware of the aims and objectives of the plan, before relevant coaching sessions are actually implemented.
Let’s create a national hype, for lack of a better word, about the TMP. And, let’s quickly do all that is necessary to find the money for that massive coaching drive that is required.
For sure, the long-term solution to Bafana’s old headaches does exist on paper. It’s delivery is the crucial thing that we need to get Tovey and his colleagues at Safa moving on, especially in the junior segment.
Independent Media