Editor's Column - Clint Roper
Last week I gave the SA U23 team quite a hammering after their first group game because I felt they not only lacked the quality to compete at a higher level, but also lacked the fight. Yet, today (Wednesday), they play in the semi-finals of the U23 African Cup of Nations and, should they win, they will not only book themselves a place in the finals of this prestigious youth tournament, they will also book themselves a ticket to the Olympic Games in Rio next year. Credit where credit is due, the boys have turned their fortunes around and shown the fight they seemingly lacked in the first game. Should they lose against Algeria, they still have one more shot at Olympic qualification, as the top three teams from this youth tournament are guaranteed a spot in the global event, meaning our U23 side will then have an opportunity to win the game for third and fourth place. It's exciting times when you consider the last time we had what we considered to be a 'Golden Generation' was on the back of an SA Olympic triumph over Brazil, co-incidentally, and here, knocking at our door, is the chance to go to the spiritual home of world football and get ourselves back on the international footballing map. That said, Algeria will be no pushovers and our record against North African opposition at all levels is not the best. When watching our lads overcome Tunisia on Friday night, one thing became clear – and this applies not only to our U23 team, but in my opinion to Bafana Bafana, our PSL teams and even to our lads battling it out in the NFD: South African football is on par with the best in the world in the middle third of the park. We are comfortable on the ball. We are creative and we know how to maintain possession. We are also combative, have great team speed, support the ball well, and are great at hitting the front-runners feet or putting them into space. Basically, we can compete with anyone in the middle third. It's the other two thirds in which we are sorely off the pace. In our defensive third we look fragile all the time. When teams attack us in that third, we always look like we could concede. Against set-pieces in the final third, we are horrible. We lose games because of the final third. As far as the attacking third – the red zone where games are won – is concerned, we can get the ball there quite effortlessly but converting these chances and putting the ball in the back of the net just seems much harder for us than it does for many other countries and leagues. Our embarrassingly low scoring figures in the PSL each season are testament to this. Our 'goals for' column in international football is disturbing. And yet, despite all of this, we seem to gloss over these two thirds because of how good we are in the middle of the field. So here's to our U23 lads! Let's hope they can do it and help South African football catch up to the rest of the world in the two thirds that count most in world football. Before going, I'd like to ask all of our readers to spread the word that LadumaConnect will be launching next week. This is something which is going to change South Africa! That sounds like a bold statement but, if the vision is realised, then LadumaConnect will revolutionise self-growth and development in this country. What is Laduma Connect? First and foremost, it's a thank you from us to you. You've allowed us to live our dream by supporting us each week by purchasing the paper and visiting our website and social platforms. This has allowed us to branch out and conceptualise a project that we feel will assist you in realising your dreams. As I have personally discovered, not all of us can be professional football players or coaches and, for many of us, we don't have the means to chase the dreams of going into marketing, advertising, sales or any other preferred career path. For many, the stumbling block is the financial means to upskill ourselves. LadumaConnect aims to change that. It is a centralized, multi-functional upskilling platform which will allow members the unique opportunity to develop knowledge and skills in a personalized, active learning environment and is completely free to anyone who signs up. Users who upload their CV will have access to weekly curated content from industry experts, vocational interest tests which will give them insight into their aptitudes and abilities, entrepreneurship resources, job listings, as well as free and low cost courses from South Africa's top learning institutions and lecturers. Once the site is launched, it will be available to anyone of school-leaving age and by early next year will include content for school-going children. This site is the first step towards inspiring and motivating South Africans and will allow people to change their own fortunes! Please spread the word, guys! Get the paper next week as it might just help unlock your future and provide real opportunity, rather than just blind hope. Shappa Clint
