Editor's Column - Clint Roper

Credit must be given where it is due… our U17 national team has made it to the U17 FIFA World Cup, which is truly an outstanding achievement!    I have taken a couple of swipes at SAFA in the last couple of weeks, but when something great happens, then it must be recognised. To beat Cameroon in the convincing fashion in which our Amajimbos team did is a credit to SAFA and to Molefi Ntseki, who is doing wonders with these young gems of ours. Today (Wednesday) we are up against the old enemy, Nigeria, and if we can overcome them – a team that traditionally bosses us at full international level – then we are one step away from winning the whole tournament.   But more exciting for us is the fact that our best young talent will go up against the rest of the world at the U17 World Cup. Iron sharpens iron and we will get to see how this generation of young South African stars match up to their counterparts. It's a chance to see very early on in their careers where we are lacking and how we can remedy any problems that may arise. It also gives us the opportunity to see where we are better than others, and to then work even harder on those aspects of our game, giving us a knockout punch as these youngsters move through the ranks. The whole country is behind you guys… make us proud!   So, while our future looks bright, what about the current state of this generation of players – the guys we watch week in and week out? Look, there is no doubt that the standard of the PSL has improved. The Nedbank Cup has shown that the lower league teams cannot compete with the professionalism of PSL clubs as easily as they once did. Yes, Golden Arrows had a good win, but against a team that right now doesn't look like it belongs in the PSL, with all due respect. But there is something that is missing from our current generation of players and from our league. It became very evident when our production manager, Brent Smith, came to myself and Vuyani Joni yesterday and asked who he should put on the poster for this current edition. He asked the question, "Who are the really big stars in our league at the moment?"   Well Vuyani and I were stumped. It occurred to me that while every major league has a great entertainer or two – players you pay to see whether they are in your team or not – the PSL currently lacks a true superstar. In La Liga they are spoilt for choice with the Messi and Ronaldo show, and even if they don't play you still have players who excite like Benzema, Bale, Neymar and others. In the EPL there is Hazard, Aguero, Toure, Rooney... the list goes on. In France there is Zlatan, Luiz and Cavani. These are the kind of players that bring magic to stadiums. Love them or hate them, you want to watch them.    Now, in my 15 years at Soccer Laduma there have, more often than not, been those kind of players – players who the fans adore and pay to watch; who newspapers and magazines want on their cover week in and week out; the one or two players who hold up that flame as the elite, and then pass it on when the time comes. Doctor Khumalo, Zane Moosa, Roger Feutmba and others were there at one stage. The late Lesley Manyathela and Siyabonga Nomvethe.  Jabu Mahlangu and Steve Lekoelea. The late duo, Gift Leremi and Scara Ngobese. Andile Jali and Shabba. Itu Khune and Teko Modise… But, if we're completely honest, right now there is no single player who has stepped up to assume that position on the clearly vacant pedestal. There is no one player whose every move is watched because we know it is news… because we know there will be magic!    There may be reasons for this. Maybe, with the standard being higher, it is harder for players to standout. Maybe coaches are more about "the collective" than embracing the individual. Maybe players themselves are playing out of fear and very much want to stick to the script. Whatever the reason, there is currently no poster boy for South African soccer and, for me, that is a huge disappointment.    It's a disappointment because we all know how much magic there is in the feet of some of our players. We all know that, despite being leashed by the expectation of 'professionalism', 'discipline', and 'doing the right things in the right areas', that inside most of our players is the desire to entertain. That should be set free, in my opinion, not just for the players' sakes, but for the fans' too.   Barcelona's coach Luis Enrique recently came out in defence of Neymar, who was being chastised for sometimes overdoing it on the ball. He said, "You have to consider the player and the culture where he is from. Brazilians look to enjoy themselves when playing football… and it is the same for all the Brazilian players at the club."   If the coach of a team like Barcelona, with all the pressure and weight of expectation, can come out and defend the inherent need that some of his players have to entertain and have 'fun', then surely those owners running clubs and those coaching teams in the PSL can do the same. We are already suffering from a massive 'goal drain' since our soccer has supposedly become more professional. Surely, then, the very least we can do is allow for stars to emerge and for the entertainers to take their place in South African soccer once more.   Shapa Clint 

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