With Dondol Stars proving to be this season's giant killers, after defeating SuperSport United and AmaZulu respectively, a former PSL coach has questioned the standard of the DStv Premiership.
Stars are waiting for tonight's draw to see who their next opponents will be in the quarter-finals of the Nedbank Cup.
While taking nothing from the progress of Stars, veteran coach Walter Rautmann believes that the standard in Mzansi's topflight has dropped over the years.
'There's No Difference Anymore'
"I watched both the games for Dondol Stars against PSL clubs and I have been impressed. I am not surprised that they have done well and I even put money on them to win. For me, our PSL soccer is the worst ever in history. There's only one team and that is Sundowns and they shouldn't even be playing in this league. Sundowns should be playing in a top league somewhere in Europe or in Africa. It's the only team that is worth to be a PSL team. Soccer from the other teams is terrible and I can't even watch it anymore. There's no more Chiefs, Swallows, Pirates or AmaZulu, it's so terrible. I was not surprised when the ABC Motsepe League team beat these PSL teams because there's no difference anymore. It's terrible. The ABC Motsepe League team played better football and they were going forward and attacking. Other teams in the PSL just defend even though they are playing in the top division. Our teams in the PSL are so bad and that's a fact," said Rautmann.
'There Are No Stars Anymore'
"There are no stars anymore from the PSL. The Chiefs' teams of the 1970s and 1980s would beat today's Chiefs team by a big margin. The same goes for Pirates and Swallows, the yesteryear's teams would be the teams of today. Those teams had stars in the likes of Doctor Khumalo, Ace Ntsoelengoe, Shaka Ngcobo, Computer Lamola and so on. I'm talking about top class players in guys like 'Vader' Mophosho, Junior Ngobe, Disco Makua, Harris Choeu from the likes of Aces and AmaZulu had top players like Joe Mlaba and many others top stars. That doesn't happen anymore," said the coach.
'Anyone can play for Chiefs'
"For me, anyone can play for Chiefs, Pirates and Swallows and there is no difference. In those years, you had to be special to play for those teams. Those teams wouldn't lose to an amateur team, no chance. Even with coaching it happens these days that any coach can come and coach in the PSL. People with no coaching qualifications can coach in the PSL and it's ridiculous. Outside of Sundowns, there is no difference between PSL teams and teams from the ABC Motsepe League. Sundowns is a good team with professional players and coaches. It's a waste of time for them to be playing in the PSL," he said.
'There's No More Quality'
"There's no more quality in our football and I just switch off my TV most of the time when soccer is playing. Outside of Sundowns, any team can beat any other team in the league. There is no chance that Chippa could have beaten Chiefs back in those days. It's a sad state of affairs and there's no more quality in our soccer," the coach added.
'People are not stupid'
"People are not stupid and for me the South African soccer fans are some of the best in the world. When I was a player/coach for Moroka Swallows, they would fill the stadiums every time we played. You went to any stadium in the country and it was always a full house. In Venda, when I coached some of the teams there, it was full house. Look at the games now, teams play in front of empty stadiums. It's a disgrace. SuperSport United, a top team in the country, is playing in front of 500 people. It's a joke. That shows people are not stupid and can see when there's no quality and that's why they don't go to games anymore. When you are watching a soccer match like that, it's like attending a funeral," concluded Rautmann.
How far can Stars go in the Nedbank Cup?
