Editor's Column - Clint Roper

How many times are we going to have to hear from our players and our coaches that it was tough in Africa. That the opposition used intimidation tactics. That their stadiums were filled with fans that screamed and shouted for the whole 90 minutes. That they were luckier than us in front of goal. That they were more mentally prepared for the game. That they sat back and defended and caught us on the counter. Time and again, the same old rehashed excuses to cover up the inadequacies of our league, our players and our coaches…    So when our teams play away they have to play in a packed stadium… whose fault is it that we don't pack our own stadiums? We have the opportunity to fill them just like every other team in Africa! Who sticks their hand up and takes the blame for not having a great home vibe for our players for the African Champions League games? There is a home and an away leg for a reason. It's there to balance the scales in that whatever you face on your travels, the other team's travels can be made equally as tough. So they locked the dressing room door at halftime... where is a team manager who 15 minutes before the half-time whistle is making sure the dressing room door is open!? And is that really that intimidating!? Why not sit in the dressing room for an extra four minutes and make the home side wait because of their attempts to unsettle you?   Our PSL continues to be exposed by teams who play in far lesser leagues, in environments that are not as professional and where money is not nearly as free flowing, and yet time and again we dish up quite embarrassing early exits. Yes, Orlando Pirates did go all the way to the final a while back, and yes, that made us proud, but that should be the norm, not the once in a blue moon event it has become.    My colleague, David Kappel, tweeted, "The PSL is the EPL of Africa. Thinking it's the best league on the continent but can't win continental trophies." And he is spot on. We're so caught up in our own hype about the quality of our domestic league… how good it feels and how good it looks… that we have been seduced by mediocrity. We're the prize fighter who came from nowhere and won the rumble in the jungle in 1996, and then got accustomed to the good life. We've got soft. We've let our standards drop.    What's odd is that whenever the youth sides of the likes - Ajax Cape Town or Orlando Pirates go and play in international tournaments in Europe, they seem to fair quite well. Our junior national teams usually give quite a good account of themselves. So I can only assume that it's our senior structures that should be thrown under the spotlight. What is happening at big clubs like Chiefs and Sundowns that results in the capitulation we witnessed on the weekend? You have to feel for the likes of Patrice Motsepe and Kaizer Motaung for the way their teams have bowed out of this contest. These two gentlemen are doing everything in their power to make sure their players have the best possible chance of success, only to be let down time and time again. They're trying to grow their brands. They're trying to make the Mamelodi Sundowns and Kaizer Chiefs brand famous and revered on the continent. But right now, the exact opposite is happening. These teams are becoming the teams the rest of Africa want to face, not the ones they want to avoid at all costs. Neil Tovey says in this week's edition that Kaizer Chiefs for him was the Man U, Barca and Real Madrid of the continent. But right now we're more like a Basel or Celtic. We're small fry. It must be very frustrating.    There have been some fingers pointed at South African soccer fans for not getting behind their teams in this tournament and for not really caring about this competition. I think as soon as the clubs start showing fans that they are taking it seriously and begin educating the fans about the importance of this contest, then maybe the fans will respond in kind.    Until that happens, I think it will remain a case of, "As long as you guys don't care, why should we?"    Shapa Clint 

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