I'm Giving Coach Des Her Flowers…
The FIFA Women's World Cup is upon us this week and I'd like to believe that Banyana Banyana are ready and geared up for this prestigious tournament. This is not their first time representing the country at such a high level and I hope all the distractions that would have hampered their preparations were put aside and that all is in order in that camp. They need that mental factor in order to win games. Mentality is one of the factors that influence performance and you can't perform when you are not in a right state of mind. They need to be 100% so that they can deliver. What a way of doing the right things at the right time! They played Costa Rica and beat them, which will obviously boost their confidence, and I hope we are in for a big and good show. As a country, we need to be proud of ourselves because with all the negativity, women's football has consistently proved that we are on the right track and a force to be reckoned with. They've really contributed towards putting smiles on our people's faces. Having won the Wafcon and qualifying for the World Cup is an indication of progress. The inspiration comes from all those who are involved in the game, but coach Desiree Ellis deserves a lot of credit for it.
Doc answers your questions…
Please don't forget to send your questions to editor@soccerladuma.co.za for now, until further notice.
Abey Moleko, thank you so much for your support and kind words. It really means a lot to know that you are one of the people who enjoy my column. As for your question about the allegations of agents bribing and influencing team selection at club and national team level, I'm sorry to disappoint you because I don't have any personal experience in that regard. So, it would not be wise for me to comment on something I really don't know because it is all allegations, as you mentioned, until I see it for myself.
Mankhen Mboweni, I can use the whole column and still not finish talking about South African football identity. It is a pity that we have somehow lost it, but I really hope we will get things right soon.
Being Doc
I'm writing this column all the way from the USA as I came to a tournament and was fortunate enough to go and watch our own player, Bongokuhle Hlongwane, playing a match. The match brought a lot of memories because Hlongwane is doing what I used to do in this part of the world. To see another South African being celebrated here was heart-warming and it proved that people will always remember you for the good things you've done for them.
Coaches I Worked With: She Wrote Her Own History
When coach Des started out, it looked like we were throwing her under the bus because so much was wrong with our football. As short in physical structure as she is, she soldiered on to become an important member of the national team, but look at how she's progressed from turning our negative into a positive when it comes to women's football! When we talk growth, we talk about a coach who has stood the test of time and manged to get things right against the heavy odds stacked against her, at the right time. I'd like to believe she has managed to put women's football on the map. Today, our national team is a force to be reckoned with in the whole world, some of our players managed to get a breakthrough to Europe with top teams signing and playing them. When you think about Banyana, no one can look down on us or think we are just a minor team. Our ladies have paid their dues and earned everyone's respect. They've shown what they are capable of and that's credit to coach Des, coming from humble beginnings and grabbing opportunities with both hands. Yes, no coach will be everyone's cup of tea and I'm sure there are people who are sometimes not happy with her team selection, but it is her prerogative and no one can argue against her choices and decisions because they almost always work.
I'm all about appreciating the women's coaching department because these guys have been unbelievable! Since the Wafcon victory in Morocco, the interest in our women's football has grown in leaps and bounds. Desiree's journey should be a learning curve or a case study for any aspirant coach out there. Her transition from player to coach has been seamless and for her to have already been awarded with the CAF Coach of the Year award, among the litany of achievements she's obtained so far, is remarkable. She's qualified us for two World Cups and that's a motivation, and she wrote her own history. Whether we want to admit it or not, no one can take away what this woman has done for South African women's football. I'm over the moon whenever I see such a character telling everyone to count her in when it comes to women's football and empowerment. She always raises her hand. For her to have been able to change our mentality to say: "What men can do, we can also do" is something to marvel at. I'm looking at coach Des and her story is so similar to that of coach Clive Barker – may his soul rest in peace. They say dynamite comes in small packages and that couldn't be truer when you think about Des and Clive. They're both South Africans and both won Afcon and qualified our teams for the World Cup. I'm not comparing the two, but there are obvious similarities between them.
They're both South Africans, same height, same strong will and character and I'd like to believe, just like Clive, coach Des must have done something some people didn't want to see happening. This is a moment that I am saying, let us respect coaches and players who have done well to represent us at international level. We need to start appreciating them more and I don't want to get into politics here, but what happened to Clive shouldn't happen to Desiree! I'd really hate to see that happening. Clive, after winning Afcon and qualifying for the 1998 World Cup, was pushed aside and forced to resign and that should never happen again because we all know what happened since then. Clive died without getting his recognition and I'm not saying Des is dying anytime soon – God forbid – but I'm just saying let us learn from our mistakes and celebrate our people more. Whether we like it or not, local will always be lekker because they know us. She's done so well and I believe she can coach a men's team and this has nothing to do with gender. She's proved herself to be capable as long as she gets given a chance. Can we please appreciate, treasure and protect coach Des so that we don't repeat what happened with coach Clive ever again? We really can't afford to repeat that same mistake again. If we don't look after people like Des, Pitso Mosimane, Clive, Rhulani Mokwena, Steve Komphela, Manqoba Mngqithi, Gavin Hunt, Brandon Truter, Raymond Mdaka … and the list is endless, we will be in trouble. I'm not taking anything from anyone else, but these are just some of the coaches who are making a difference to South African football. I just want to wish coach Des and her team all the best for the World Cup. We will rally behind them and we hope all the negative stuff has been sorted out and that they are ready to go. I'm giving coach Des her flowers while she can still smell them. I don't want to see what happened to Bafana happening to Banyana.
Doc's memory bank:
That spoke to her attention to detail
I remember being at the SABC studios analysing a game with coach Des and she wanted to know more about what made the 1996 team so successful at that Afcon. She asked me a lot of questions about how coach Clive did his thing and that caught my attention because Des is a knowledgeable coach yet she still wanted to learn from my experiences with coach Clive. When I told her, "Clive told us, before the game against Brazil, that the only difference between you and them is the national anthem. Nothing else!" she was blown away and told me she was going to use that line to her team. Can you believe it? That, to me, proved that this lady is onto something and really wants to do well in her career. This was the first coach in the industry to ask me specific questions about coach Clive and that spoke to her attention to detail and wanting to do well. So, I'm not surprised to see her doing as well as she's been doing with our national team.
Doc's Friend Zone
I happened to reconnect with one of my former teammates, Ricky, who is a local from the USA. He is now a players' agent and is very interested in South African players. He was one of the people who made me feel at home when I got this side and he would go out of his way to make sure I didn't get homesick. Even with this trip, he calls every day to see if everything is alright in Atlanta where I am based and that just goes to show how much he cares. I will forever cherish and appreciate this man for everything he has done for me and continues to do. It is sad that some people tend to forget the things done for them, but as soon as I called Ricky to tell him I was coming over, he made me promise to spare some time to meet up and also shout if I needed anything.
