Football legends call for change in South African football

Just a week after the South African Football Association (SAFA) hit back at former Bafana Bafana and Leeds United captain Lucas Radebe for complaining about marginalization in as far as football leadership is concerned in the country, another Bafana legend is questioning the role of the local football mother body.

Bafana and Kaizer Chiefs legend Doctor Khumalo, speaking at the Ria Ledwaba press conference arranged to launch her SAFA Presidential campaign at the Nelson Mandela Foundation today, says what is happening to Radebe is so unfortunate.

Khumalo was responding to an interview he had heard on SABC Sport last week, on what he perceived as SAFA™s attack on Radebe.

œBut I heard an interview last week and legends were lambasted just because Lucas said he wants to serve, is there anything wrong with that?, should he go to structures down there to dirty his hands? but do you guys know that when we play in DRC we had to live five-day with coke and bread only, because we couldn™t eat their food is that not sacrifice? So why can™t we be part of the structure? why abo (the likes of) bro Shakes can™t be part of the structure? How do you expect football to better in South Africa if our people who walk the path are not part of it? said Khumalo as he raised his concern.

Khumalo, arguably the most popular footballer in South Africa from the time of reunification into international football in 1992, said football in our country needs to change across different levels.

œWhat I want to see happening is change, whether it™s the future structure or current structure, whether president Danny keeps his job-I mean his position its fine....but until when?

œWe managed through the SAFA leadership through legends, corporate, media and lastly South Africans we embraced the flag of South Africa, we knew what does that means to us" Khumalo added.

The 54-year-old legend, also a product of SAFA structures not just as a player but as a coach too, as he currently holds the highest football coaching qualification in the country, CAF A License and SAFA Pro License, emphasized the importance of well supported regions and restructure as part of this change, that™s needed.

Bafana Bafana (@BafanaBafana ) legend Doctor Khumalo questions why a legend like former Bafana captain Lucas Radebe is being crucified for showing interest in leading SAFA.?@Velile_Mnyandu #SABCSportNews pic.twitter.com/kn0QTN8qgp— SABC Sport (@SPORTATSABC) May 10, 2022

Also present in the press conference this Tuesday morning was former Bafana Bafana coach Shakes Mashaba, who is now the Chairperson of the South African Football Masters and Legends Association (SAMLFA) in Gauteng. Mashaba said change is inevitable in SA football.

œI think we have seen it all everybody is talking about it, its 28 years now we been begging to the FIFA-what you call, rather than going up we taking slide all the time that tells you that everybody needs to support this and I want to say what Doctor said: it doesn™t matter who takes over but change must come, change must be evident in what we are doing said Mashaba expressing his views.

By Velile Mnyandu