A government plan to nationalize South Africa's ailing soccer team in a bid to avoid embarrassment during the 2010 World Cup has angered soccer bosses and players who warned it could backfire.
"It's going to be very difficult for clubs to release players for such a long time frame [from now to the Cup]," said Brian Sebapole, a former national player and an executive in the Professional Players Union.
"Clubs have made huge investments, paid money to get the players. The plan is experimental and highly risky and may backfire. No one will want to sacrifice his [club] salary for two years," he said.
Sports Minister Makhenkesi Stofile proposed this week that the country's top 50 players be contracted to the government for two years so that a winning team can be nurtured ahead of South Africa hosting the 2010 soccer spectacular -- the first to be held on the continent.
"We'll contract the players and tell the coach: `Here, work with them'. They won't play for their [domestic and international] clubs for two years and will be preparing only for the World Cup soccer tournament," Stofile told parliament. "We have to prevent them [the team] from embarrassing us."
Sebapole said players may well be excited to represent their national team in the first World Cup on home soil, but would need some convincing.
"Players may not want to be part of the plan if they are not assured of being featured in the first 22," he said.
The national squad, Bafana Bafana (Zulu for "boys") has had a series of bad results, including a first-round exit from the Africa Nations Cup in Ghana last month.
The team lies 71st on the ranking of world soccer body FIFA, despite acquiring the services of Brazil's 2006 World Cup-winning coach, Carlos Alberto Parreira, at a domestic record 1.8 million rand (US$227,000) a month.
Stofile said top players should be placed under government contract, paid monthly allowances and play regular practice matches against local clubs.
Sebapole said a one-year period may be more realistic for clubs to "be patriotic and release players."
Irvin Khoza, South Africa's Premier Soccer League (PSL) chairman and owner of the Orlando Pirates club, said commercial interests were at stake.
"While we agree that something needs to be done about our national team, the issue has not been made official to us.
"It is a delicate issue because it affects sponsors, broadcasters, clubs, players. There are breach [of agreement] issues," Khoza said, adding the PSL was considering proposals for Parreira to be allowed to assemble players four months before the 2010 kick-off.
"It's going to be very difficult because you actually say for example, Benni McCarthy should not be available for his club, which is paying him huge amounts of money, for two years," Jomo Cosmos club boss Jomo Sono said. "You are saying clubs ... should suffer for two years without their best players."
Shohei Ohtani and Clayton Kershaw on Friday joined their Los Angeles Dodgers teammates in sticking their fists out to show off their glittering World Series rings at a ceremony. “There’s just a lot of excitement, probably more than I can ever recall with the Dodger fan base and our players,” manager Dave Roberts said before Los Angeles rallied to beat the Detroit Tigers 8-5 in 10 innings. “What a way to cap off the first two days of celebrations,” Roberts said afterward. “By far the best opening week I’ve ever experienced. I just couldn’t have scripted it any better.” A choir in the
The famously raucous Hong Kong Sevens are to start today in a big test for a shiny new stadium at the heart of a major US$3.85 billion sports park in the territory. Officials are keeping their fingers crossed that the premier event in Hong Kong’s sporting and social calendar goes off without a hitch at the 50,000-seat Kai Tak Stadium. They hope to entice major European soccer teams to visit in the next few months, with reports in December last year saying that Liverpool were in talks about a pre-season tour. Coldplay are to perform there next month, all part of Hong Kong’s
Shohei Ohtani, Teoscar Hernandez and Tommy Edman on Thursday smashed home runs to give the reigning World Series champions the Los Angeles Dodgers a 5-4 victory over Detroit on the MLB’s opening day in the US. The Dodgers, who won two season-opening games in Tokyo last week, raised their championship banner on a day when 28 clubs launched the season in the US. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts shuffled his batting lineup with all four leadoff hitters finally healthy as Ohtani was followed by Mookie Betts, then Hernandez and Freddie Freeman in the cleanup spot, switching places with Hernandez. “There’s a Teoscar tax to
Matvei Michkov did not score on Monday, but the Philadelphia rookie had a hand in both goals as hosts the Flyers earned a 2-1 victory over the Nashville Predators. Ryan Poehling and Jamie Drysdale got the goals for the Flyers (31-36-9, 71 points), who won their third straight. Michkov and Travis Konecny assisted on both. Ivan Fedotov stopped 28 shots to earn his first win since March 1, ending a personal six-game losing streak. Zachary L’Heureux got the lone goal for Nashville. Michael McCarron and Brady Skjei got the assists for the Predators (27-39-8, 62 points), who have just four goals in their