This past weekend's CAF Champions League final first leg match between Orlando Pirates and Al Ahly at Orlando stadium, was a very good advert for South African football.
The 'unity in diversity' shown by the supporters from different clubs all backing the Buccaneers, putting their local rivalry aside for just 90 minutes, was something to be proud of. The electrifying atmosphere at the stadium was just unbelievable! The early arrival of the supporters was also to be commended because having more than a third of the stadium filled up more than an hour before the game, is something unheard of in South African football.
Even the Soweto derby, the biggest spectacle on the local football calendar, never have three quarters of the supporters seated an hour before the start of the game. In fact, I'm reminded of a conversation I had with a friend leading up to the recent Soweto derby, about how so many people usually miss the first half of these games. Most of them travel from a far only to watch the second 45 minutes of the game due to poor time management.
Now to the crux of this column, while enjoying the game, something that warmed my heart happened after Roger de Sa instructed his substitutes to warm-up, with Pirates trailing 1-0. A section of not only Pirates supporters gave team captain, Lucky Lekgwathi, a warm welcome and acknowledged his presence with a standing ovation and wild cheers. This was the first time Lekgwathi had been part of the team since the last group stage game against Al Ahly on September 22. What happened since has been well documented. The 37-year-old waved to the cheering supporters as a sign to recognise their appreciation. To mention just a few such as the likes of Ryan Giggs, Didier Drogba, Yaya Toure, Samuel Eto'o, Steven Gerrard, Lionel Messi, Neymar and Cristiano Ronaldo, this is the kind of love, respect and appreciation these heavyweights are shown by their supporters all the time, but we seldom see it in our country.
Edries Burton, Daniel Mudau, Professor Ngubane are some of the legends who served the beautiful game with pride, yet they hardly ever got much recognition. Two former South African prolific strikers recently passed away and were silently laid to rest without much fanfare. Not even a moment of silence before the start of matches. Is this the kind of treatment we show to our players, former or current?
Keryn Jordan recently lost a long battle with cancer, while former Moroka Swallows legend, Andries 'Six' Mabone passed on a few days later after being admitted to hospital. I was lucky enough to watch Jordan torment a number of PSL defenders before moving on to bigger things overseas. He may have just played for Bafana Bafana once, but that was definitely not the true reflection of the Pretoria-born striker's quality. Unfortunately, Mabone was there way before my time, although I met the humble man before the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The stories I have heard about his goal-scoring exploits make me believe that he was worthy of more recognition, just like Jordan.
South Africa, we need to change our mind-set and recognise our own legends more. If we don't respect or appreciate our history, then we are doomed! Our young kids on the streets know more about Maradona and Pele than our own legends.
These are the guys our current crop of players should look up to for motivation. They should be role models to the current players, having seen and done it all before. These are the kind of people today's players should always seek advice and guidance from.
There are many ways we could show our love and appreciation for them. One such method is to get rid of our tendency to remember our legends more after their days with us are over, which I find very unfortunate. Regardless of someone's popularity or lack thereof, anyone who has served the beautiful game with pride deserves recognition.
The final whistle has just gone.
By: Vuyani Joni
Follow Vuyani on Twitter: @VeeJay14
