‘Football talk’ with Bra Khaya

Khaya Vhailafuri is a very skilled carpenter. He is also passionate about football. Unlike many a football analyst or commentator, I’m convinced that Bra Khaya harbours no agenda. He just wants to see a winning Bafana Bafana squad.

Over the past four days Bra Khaya and I have established a morning session of football talk. On Sunday we discussed lack of football in schools. I don’t know what happened on Monday. Does anyone ever remember what happens on Mondays? Anyway, I digress. The topic for yesterday (Tuesday) and today (Wednesday) was Walter Mokoena’s criticism of Joel Santana and Aaron Mokoena and the SABC’s decision to suspend him from all remaining games of the Confederations Cup.

Bra Khaya is adamant that in SA people who tell the truth are always treated unfairly, alas Mokoena. He further argues that Mokoena should have been allowed to continue with his duties until the end of the tournament, when it could be decided whether his criticism was valid and thus deserving punishment.

You see Bra Khaya does not harbour any agenda. He is also not concerned with political correctness, nor is he concerned with journalistic principles. In his world, truth comes first and everything later.

Such is Bra Khaya’s passion on football matters that I find myself participating in our sessions as a “student”. Very often he would take me back to his high school days when he used to play against the likes of Donald “Ace” Khuse.

According to Bra Khaya, Irvin Khoza is a “mafia” and is destroying our football because of his greed and pursuit of self-enrichment. Kaizer Motaung is a “coconut” because he believes that only European coaches are good for his “family business” also known as Kaizer Chiefs. For the record, Bra Khaya “ke LeKhosi” (is a Kaizer Chiefs fan).

So I decide to put Bra Khaya to a test. Bafana Bafana will be playing Brazil in the Confederations Cup semi-finals. What would be Bra Khaya’s starting eleven?

Keeper — Itumeleng Khune. Defenders — Bongani Khumalo, Tshepo Masilela and Bryce Moon. Midfielders — Lance Davids, Siphiwe Tshabalala, Steven Pienaar, Elrio van Heerden and Kagiso Dikgacoi. Forwards — Terror Fanteni and Bernard Parker. Substitutes — Teko Modise, Matthew Booth, Innocent Mdledle and Brian Baloyi.

You would notice the glaring omission of Modise and Booth in Bra Khaya’s Bafana XI. It is for two reasons: 1) Brazil play the ball on the ground, so Booth would struggle a bit 2) Modise would come in at halt time with a mandate to either rescue or win the game.

Bra Khaya’s tactical approach would be a 3-5-2. He argues that Brazil is always aggressive in the opening stanza, having scored 8 of the 10 tournament goals during that period. So Bra Khaya sees no point in defending. He would pack the midfield, close the gaps and boost the attack.

By half-time Bra Khaya’s tactical formation would switch to a 4-3-1-2 with Modise playing just behind the strikers and Booth bringing physical presence at the back. This move is further substantiated by the notion that Brazil seems to lose steam in the second stanza and that Bafana are more effective in an open flowing game.

I don’t know. Somehow, I have a feeling that for an ordinary football fan, Bra Khaya might have some valid points. I find myself thinking … maybe Santana needs a morning football talk with Bra Khaya???

More often than not, opinions from people like Bra Khaya would be dismissed as irrational, irrelevant, uninformed and emotional. But what if the man has a point?