IF THERE is anyone out there who understands the SA Football Association, please raise your hand.
The association this week held a media briefing under the banner From Success to Success, which must have sent football followers reeling with shock.
What success, you might well ask. And in the same breath it says it intends to "reverse the failures" of 2011 with a far-reaching programme for 2012, according to CEO Robin Petersen.
"Rightly or wrongly, and whether we like it or not, Safa is judged by the achievements of the national teams, principally Bafana Bafana," Petersen said.
"The failure to qualify for the coming Africa Cup of Nations tournament in Equatorial Guinea and Gabon and the Olympic Games men's event, among a number of deflating results, has resulted in the nation giving us a dismal fail mark for 2011."
That's more like it. Petersen said the importance of a successful Bafana to the nation could not be overemphasised.
"I do not think I am exaggerating that when Bafana are doing well there is an air of optimism throughout the country. A failed Bafana results in gloom and despair."
How many times have we pointed this out? But he failed to say what action would be taken if Bafana Bafana were to fail - again.
Also discussed was the club versus country issue caused mainly by the different football calendars of both the European and African federations.
Safa and the Premier Soccer League are said to have formed a committee that will engage CAF on whether the country should keep following the European calendar, revert to the CAF calendar or can persuade CAF to fall in line with the European schedule.
Safa is also speaking to other leagues on the continent before approaching CAF. It seems Safa is shifting the goalposts as far as it's failures are concerned and is clutching at every straw.
With every failure we want to change the rules. Remember the debacle at Mbombela, when we failed to qualify for this year's Afcon? Unfortunately for us the rest of the continent sees us as arrogant and the chances of their supporting Safa are slim indeed.
An example of that played itself out during the Cosafa elections in Botswana last month. Delegates made it clear where they stood as far as some of our football administrators were concerned.
Many of them talk about the empty promises our administrators made before the 2010 Fifa World Cup that South Africa hosted. They are not about to forget those.
Clear up the confusion, Safa
IF THERE is anyone out there who understands the SA Football Association, please raise your hand.
The association this week held a media briefing under the banner From Success to Success, which must have sent football followers reeling with shock.
What success, you might well ask. And in the same breath it says it intends to "reverse the failures" of 2011 with a far-reaching programme for 2012, according to CEO Robin Petersen.
"Rightly or wrongly, and whether we like it or not, Safa is judged by the achievements of the national teams, principally Bafana Bafana," Petersen said.
"The failure to qualify for the coming Africa Cup of Nations tournament in Equatorial Guinea and Gabon and the Olympic Games men's event, among a number of deflating results, has resulted in the nation giving us a dismal fail mark for 2011."
That's more like it. Petersen said the importance of a successful Bafana to the nation could not be overemphasised.
"I do not think I am exaggerating that when Bafana are doing well there is an air of optimism throughout the country. A failed Bafana results in gloom and despair."
How many times have we pointed this out? But he failed to say what action would be taken if Bafana Bafana were to fail - again.
Also discussed was the club versus country issue caused mainly by the different football calendars of both the European and African federations.
Safa and the Premier Soccer League are said to have formed a committee that will engage CAF on whether the country should keep following the European calendar, revert to the CAF calendar or can persuade CAF to fall in line with the European schedule.
Safa is also speaking to other leagues on the continent before approaching CAF. It seems Safa is shifting the goalposts as far as it's failures are concerned and is clutching at every straw.
With every failure we want to change the rules. Remember the debacle at Mbombela, when we failed to qualify for this year's Afcon? Unfortunately for us the rest of the continent sees us as arrogant and the chances of their supporting Safa are slim indeed.
An example of that played itself out during the Cosafa elections in Botswana last month. Delegates made it clear where they stood as far as some of our football administrators were concerned.
Many of them talk about the empty promises our administrators made before the 2010 Fifa World Cup that South Africa hosted. They are not about to forget those.
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