Eddie Martinuzzi earlier asked whether you, the readers, believe that potentially career-ending tackles should be clamped down on by SAFA. I felt I should weigh in on the discussion…
For those of you unfamiliar with the incident that sparked this discussion, yesterday, during a match between Orlando Pirates and Bidvest Wits, the Students captain Thulani Hlatshwayo put in a tackle on Sifiso Myeni which was, to put it mildly, barbaric. If you missed the game for some reason, go and check out the replays of the game for the horror tackle.
I’m certain that the reverberations of that tackle will continue to ripple through South African football, especially depending on the severity of the injury to one of the most promising players in the land.
My argument is that, in addition to the punishment Hlatshwayo will receive for picking up the red card, the PSL should take further action against players that put in potentially career ending tackles. I understand that football is a contact sport and that, in the heat of the game, sometimes things get rough, but had that clumsy, vicious tackle made contact with Myeni a fraction differently, we could have seen the end of ‘Nsunda’s’ career, because a shattered shin bone is not something from which you bounce back.
This kind of play needs to be rooted out of our game! At best it’s irresponsible, at worst it is brutality intended to maim. Either way, if that is going to be how you play, you deserve to suffer the harshest of consequences – period!
What do you think? Was Hlatshwayo’s tackle legitimate, or is this something the governing body should be looking to punish more severely?
