Thursday, May 25, 2023

Hunt has spoken, SA football needs a reboot.


SuperSport United coach, Gavin Hunt is one of the few coaching 'elders' remaining and still very much involved in South African football amongst an influx of new, younger generation of coaches, and when an elder speaks, we need to listen and take notes.

Answering football journalist, Lorenz Kohler's question about most Premier Soccer League's teams being less than 10 years old, Hunt said South African football needs a serious reboot.

Hunt believes PSL teams have bloated squads and they need to cut down on the number of players they have on their books.

But one important issue that hunt touched on, is the issue of PSL clubs selling their franchises like hot fat cakes on a busy street in the morning.

One has to look at one club that is a huge part of the South African football heritage, Wits University, whose 99 years of history has been 'erased' in less than three years after they sold their status to recently relegated Marumo Gallants.

Wits is not the only South African football heritage that has literally gone down the drain, Bloemfontein Celtic is another fallen giant, having been purchased by KwaZulu-Natal business woman, Shauwn Mkhize and renamed Royal AM.

According to hunt, if a team's status is purchased, the name should not change, as well as the club's base.

ALSO READ: Erik Ten Hag on Manchester United's ambitions: https://safootballtxt.blogspot.com/2023/05/we-want-to-compete-with-best-ten-hag.html?m=1

Teams form a huge part of the community they are based in, they become part of the community's soul, one can only look at what Celtic meant to the people of Bloemfontein, and what it did to them when it was sold.

Imagine Mamelodi Sundowns being sold to a businessman from Limpopo, and renamed Limpopo Sundowns, just ponder on that.

Hunt, has touched on some serious issues.

Even clubs themselves need their own internal reboots.

The fact that Mamelodi Sundowns has won the DStv Premiership title says a lot about the declining level of competitiveness in our elite league.

Sundowns winning the league with seven matches to spare this time around, and with a points gap of 16 for two seasons running should lead to the likes of Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates doing some serious introspection, and, as Hunt says, do some very necessary reboots. 

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