SA soccer — from hero to zero

So we entered what we all thought would be a sustainable and successful era of growth for SA football. We hosted an amazing Fifa World Cup in 2010 under coach Carlos Alberto Parreira, who was assisted by current head coach Pitso Mosimane.

The next hurdle for SA soccer was and no seemingly remains the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon). How is it remotely conceivable to any rational person that a soccer federation goes into any competition not having a sound understanding of the contracts and most especially the rules. This is the situation:

Mosimane and his team thought we only needed a draw to make it through if Egypt won only for the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to announce that Niger go through to Afcon, and not us.

This has to be the most ridiculous and embarrassing act of maladministration on the part of an SA sporting federation I have ever had the misfortune of witnessing. We then don’t eat the right type of pie, the one that has ACCOUNTABILITY printed on the label, we go on to publicly question CAF and protest as to why we did not qualify. Rule 14.1 and the way in which CAF structure the competition is confusing, but that is not the issue here. This an excerpt from Safa’s letter to CAF:

“We have noted that CAF has announced that Niger has qualified in our group, despite South Africa finishing on top of the group in terms of goal difference, which is the universally recognised means of separating teams who are equal on points. We understand that you are using rule 14.1 to make your determination. However, we believe that the team finishing top of the log at the end of the competition is automatically determined at the end of 90 minutes play, and that the second place is determined by the other rules. We will lay out our objection more fully shortly, but in the meantime wish to signal that we intend to challenge this interpretation and application of the rules.”

This is what the president of Safa, Kirsten Nematandani, who is one of those that should take the blame for this, had to say to the Bafana players:

“Do not despair, all is not lost. We believe we have a case and we will carry this fight all the way. If CAF’s rules are ambiguous then we need to challenge that and we are well within our rights to do so. In the meantime be positive, and leave everything in our hands.”

How can you have a case Kirsten? The rules are the rules and for this process they apply to all the teams. It is unheard of to bring such a question flying in the face of the printed rules.

The rules for this qualifying process and competition are the rules and the administrators at Safa got this completely and humiliatingly wrong. I can only imagine how other football nations must be chuckling at this error and the subsequent deflection of any responsibility or accountability. In an ideal world heads would be rolling for this, people would be fired for utter incompetence and almost bringing SA soccer into disrepute. Add to this Bafana Bafana’s inability to win their games and score their goals when needed to put the whole confusing matter beyond confusion.

From the hero of 2010 Fifa World Cup hosts to the zero of CAF cup qualifying soccer. An embarrassment of the highest order. Will heads roll for this? I hope so but doubt it very much. Why would we accept accountability, we the rainbow nation, the new South Africa, everyone loves us, we get away with murder every day. I for one am so tired of the ineffective administration call on the ministry of sport and even the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee to take off the cotton wool and get sport run properly — soccer, cricket, even athletics, rugby, hockey and swimming have been in the press in the past for all the wrong reasons.