Editor's Blog
It was, ironically, the man whose turf (editor's column) I have expropriated without any sort of compensation this week, Vuyani Joni, who recently showed me a video that left us both giggling in amusement. Said video was taken on the occasion of the 90th birthday celebration of Inkatha Freedom Party president Mangosuthu Buthelezi on Monday last week and, in it, the person on the podium is seen and heard singing him a 'Happy Birthday' song. Then the song continues along these lines: "How old are you now? How old are you now? How old are you now? How old are you now?" An agitated Buthelezi then walks up to the podium in a haste, and when he finally gets there, he responds with a melodic tune of his own, "It's none of your business, it's none of your business, it's none of your business, it's none of your business", before walking back. Rapturous laughter could be heard from the gathered crowd. No, dear reader, you did not buy the wrong paper; in your possession is a copy of Soccer Laduma. Although football and politics should keep apart from each other the same way an intoxicated person should play far away from a steering wheel, I just could not help thinking about South Africans' obsession with age after watching the video, especially following Siphiwe Tshabalala's move to Turkish side Erzurumspor. That a player for whom we had been counting down the years to retirement was now making a move abroad came as so much of a shock to all of us, that some must have thought someone was pulling our leg when the news surfaced. Many had already pictured Shabba barking instructions from the touchline to some little ones or sitting in some office in two years' time, but alas, he signs a two-year deal, with an option, in Turkey. Mother of miracles, huh? See, age ain't nothing but a number. But it would be foolish of me, or anyone for that matter, to look at this move only from the perspective of age because such has been the profound effect of the life and soccer times of Siphiwe Tshabalala that there are so many positives to be derived. For a lad who started his career at the very bottom, the Kaizer Chiefs Academy, before moving to Free State Stars and being brought back by Kaizer Chiefs, his career has come full circle. Born in Soweto, he has played for his boyhood club, became part of the Soweto Derby countless times, took part in the World Cup on home soil, travelled the length and breadth of Africa with club and country and won numerous trophies in his glittering career. What more can one ask for? Most importantly, what lessons can the young ones draw from Tshabalala's career? Loyalty, for one. Yes, to compare him to AS Roma legend Francesco Totti in this regard would perhaps be absurd, but look around South African football nowadays and you will realise that one-club men are in danger of extinction. That for all of 12 years the dreadlocked midfield maestro has withstood all kinds of weather at Amakhosi, at a time when clubs are known to discard even the most senior of their players without even a blink of an eye, is indeed commendable. Three seasons without a trophy must have been one of the toughest periods in the club's history, but Shabba was there, always leading by example and spurring his teammates on. His was a leadership of quietude, a deviation from the norm because we tend to believe that in order for a leader or captain to gain the attention and respect of a referee on the pitch, he has to scream and throw his toys at the poor match officials whenever a decision goes against his team. I figure he must have been a bad dream for journalists, who always hunger after the juiciest angle of the story. He was a club man whose every sentence was punctuated by such terms as 'hard work', 'team effort', 'Lady Luck', 'converting our chances'. Yawn, yawn, yawn. Press conferences with him in the room must have been a bore for every scribe worth their salt because he was not one to be brash or churn out quotable quotes by the bucket load. A mark of a true professional. This move is also a dream come true considering his trial at English Championship side Nottingham Forest at the beginning of 2011. The trial came hot on the heels of the left-footed player having participated in the 2010 World Cup with Bafana Bafana, where he famously became the scorer of the showpiece's opening goal. Along with Teko Modise and Itumeleng Khune, ironically all under the same stable at the time, he was expected to make the move to Europe any minute from the final whistle of the final between Spain and Holland. But, as we have come to learn, things happen in their own time and, as most Mzansi (young) stars fail to make their mark overseas and choose to return home, here we are, exporting a 33-year-old. The last word, one of congratulations, goes out to the player's agent, Jazzman Mahlakgane, who was instrumental in brokering the deal, revealing last week that negotiations had been ongoing for two months. Many will not admit to it now, but no one believed he would pull this one off. He has had to court criticism for his players' failure to move to Europe, especially at their peak. This was said to be the reason Khune severed ties with him, although this was never confirmed by either party. I suppose, with our background as a country, there will always be hesitance in trusting our own, but, one giant leap at a time, the likes of Mahlakgane and Tshabalala are making it possible for the words 'black' and 'excellence' to be put in the same sentence, let alone next to each other. Good luck, Shabba, a true servant of the game. Yours truly, Lunga
