Enough with the "chop and change" system!

The situation surrounding Orlando Pirates midfielder Andile Jali and Bafana Bafana has been in the media for a while now. Most South African-based fans believe that Jali can do better than our European-based players in the national team. Is it because we don't get to see KG and Furman in action at club level that we critisize them this much?

The truth though is that everyone was singing Furman's name during the recent Afcon, or is it a matter of chop and change? well I remember the same fans were not pleased at all with the chop and change system used by previous coaches, and they believed that it kills our football and when Gordon Igesund is ending that, then the same fans are again complaining.

Let's talk nothing but the truth here, we have a lot of players in the PSL whom we feel should have been in the national team but they aren't. Going back to a few seasons ago, I would like to believe that Dikgang Mabalane deserved to be in the national team, but he was never there, but that is football and he did not complain about it.

It is also true that we like to compare our national team with other European countries like Spain and Germany. Whereas we are not even close to those countries. Fans get bored when Bafana beat fellow African countries like Kenya and Malawi, because they feel we need to beat the likes of England and Brazil.

I remember speaking to former Bafana coach Shakes Mashaba about the situation and he said "We need to conquer Africa and gain respect in order to be able to compete against the European teams" and that is what countries like Ivory Coast and Egypt have been doing. Maybe it's time we accept our football and they way we play.

But how are we going to achieve that? by chop and changing? I don't think so. Look at the Brazilian national team. Since the days of Tafarel and Beberto, their team stuck together for a while and they achieved things together, they were playing like a team rather than a national team. It was quite easy to predict their squad before it is even announced.

Spain has taken the same trend with Germany doing the same, and these countries have been doing well. I believe it's time we support and respect GI's decision as a coach, looking at how Bafana have done since he took over from Pitso Mosimane.

Andile should keep working harder to earn that position and never let fans to do the fighting for him. No doubt he is a great player, but being the great players is sometimes NOT enough.

Away with the "chop and change" system!!  

By Ernest Makhaya.