I have recently had the privilege to get a sneak peek into the world of rugby -understanding the culture and seeing the amount of discipline it takes for these players to stay focused. Standard practice for athletes in general.
And, of course, there was no way I could avoid getting caught in the middle of the transformation debate, especially after Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula’s latest announcement.
Due to my role as a deacon at a small Joburg-based church, I found myself offering some spiritual guidance to two Under-19 rugby players at the University of Johannesburg, who also happen to be linked with the Lions junior team.
Our encounters have been eye-opening and fascinating, to say the least, and we’ve only been on this journey for four months.
The perks of being in the company of these young men (one black and the other white), who are determined to put on the Springbok jersey one day, is that, I, too, have had to up my fitness game and signed up at my neighbourhood gym with their help.
It’s been challenging, but I am convinced I will have that summer body that everyone will look at with envy come Spring Day. You can take that to the bank.
Now the two beasts (I call them that because there’s a 10-year age gap between us but they dwarf me with their physique) might have a contrasting background to each other.
They are also quite opposite compared to the average South African football player, but their level of discipline struck me once again when Premier League side Platinum Stars announced a little over a week ago that enterprising midfielder Masibusane Zongo had been sent packing for a string of misdemeanours.
Zongo is no stranger to mischief, having already played for five top-flight clubs and had a trial spell at English Premier League outfit Tottenham Hotspur at the tender age of 26.
He is an enfant terrible of note, courting trouble since Gavin Hunt identified him as an emerging talent at SuperSport United eight years ago, and Dikwena had enough despite yet another coach in Cavin Johnson throwing him a lifeline when no one else would.
There’s no doubting Zongo’s ability, even the ‘Black Prince’, Jomo Sono, admitting he was tempted to sign him a few years ago. He might have even considered giving him the No.10 jersey.
You just never know. But his off-the-field antics have been one of the hardest demons to exorcise, seemingly ending his career prematurely. We will look back years from now and Zongo will be one of many gifted footballers guilty of taking their extraordinary talent for granted.
There’s never really been a satisfactory explanation to the real reason why he is so aloof and irresponsible, with many clubs preferring to simply cut ties when they have run out of ideas on how to rehabilitate him. SuperSport, Vasco da Gama, Bidvest Wits, Chippa United and now Dikwena have all abandoned him. Sure, they could not risk having him bring the club into disrepute. But what is it that these clubs can’t get right?
And we all know the football fraternity is laden with a few more Zongos, some, like Jabu Mahlangu (previously Pule) and Lerato ‘Lovers’ Mohlala, have become ambassadors in efforts made to warn PSL players about living life on the fast lane.
Football clubs are missing the trick here. I don’t mean to cover every young player with a troubled past with the same blanket, but maybe our teams can learn from the rugby set-up, where up and coming stars contracted to some top sides usually go on to make it. I am in no way ignorant of the different social challenges and whatever else may be contributing factors, but there are just too many of these types of stories going around and, quite frankly, this calls for a whole new approach. – Saturday Star