WeeklySA_AdminAgents:Some agents just greedy to make money
IT is all hands on deck now that the National Soccer League (NSL) will blow the whistle signalling the kick-off of the 2021/22 season starting this weekend.
Of course the weekend MTN8 fixtures, also known as the Top-8 competition, would involve professional teams in the NSL’s Premier Soccer League (PSL) as per their performances in the DStv Premiership competition during the past season.
The latter competition will by the way start a week later together with the National First Division’s (NFD) Glad Africa Championship.
Perhaps the question is it’s all hands on deck for whom? My humble view is that it’s all hands on deck for the NSL leadership; SA Football Association (SAFA) which provides match officials for NSL matches; Clubs; Media houses (TV, radio as well as print) as most exist solely because of sports like soccer as well as player-managers.
Let’s firstly acknowledge that without the above interested parties, particularly all of them working together, our professional football is doomed.
We shall, however, focus on player-managers or agents as they have been largely referred to in the past. A complex breed I dare add considering some of the allegations that have been levelled against them. Having said that, one cannot pretend not to recognise that the same is also said of journalists by football fans, club officials and the agents alike.
Some of the accusations that would be levelled against player-agents are that they are bent on getting rich at the expense of players by wrenching them out of clubs before the expiry period of their contracts in the quest for better deals rather than wait and get nothing when that player becomes a free-agent; failure to help players to learn about saving their earnings as they would be running after girls and having endless parties; having an influence over certain coaches to field particular players (on form or not) in order for them to sell the players abroad.
The above is bad publicity in any man’s language, if you ask me.
Of course we all know that most of our player-managers have studied law while others are respected business people while others have proved to be bad apples. All without exception have a democratic right to dismiss the above accusations as hogwash.
Be that as it may , hogwash or not, we cannot accuse all our ladies and gentlemen in the player-manager space for the wrongs of the others. There had been some players or there are players out there who are reaping rewards for being in the hands of good and honest player-managers.
We shall use the recent occurrence as an example of a user friendly player-manager and an example of someone with nation building intentions from a story published by Soccer Laduma about Orlando Pirates’ defender Justice Chabalala. Speculation was rife that he (Chabalala) was leaving Bloemfontein Celtic where he had been loaned by Pirates for Chippa United only for him to instead join Sekhukhune United.
Explaining the sudden change, Rush Hour Sports Management representative, Ratshibvumo Mulovhedzi, said: “The reason the player didn’t go to Chippa as initially announced was due to family reasons. Secondly, I have just introduced Justice to investing in the business of properties and a move away from Gauteng wouldn’t have worked for him at this stage.
“Thirdly, with Sekhukhune United being a club from Limpopo, him joining the team to assist them in their aim to retain their topflight status will be good for the economy of Limpopo. We are also from Limpopo after all. As the player’s agent, I apologise to the teams that were interested in the player but couldn’t get him.”
As the dust settles down after the conclusion of the Tokyo Olympics 2020 in Japan, an event that beat huge odds after being postponed for a year to 2021 due to the global Covid-19 pandemic we can only applaud the hosts for their resolve to prove to the world that nothing beats determination.
We can therefore also appreciate that much as crowds were not allowed as a precaution to avoid the spreading of the Covid-19 virus, we did, however, enjoy some of the most entertaining performances by athletes as if things had been normal, let alone the athletes’ ill preparedness for these particular Games.
Lastly, with August being Women’s Month it is without doubt therefore appropriate to conclude that our swimming golden girl, Tatjana Schoenmaker, timed her sublime feat very well of smashing world records and return with two glittering Olympic medals.
Schoenmaker proudly brought home a gold and a silver medal, while fellow Olympian Bianca Buitendag won us a silver medal during a surfing contest. Baie dankie dames!
# Molefi Mika, SA Sport Hall of Fame – 2008 Media Inductee is an author of two non-fiction books: Resilient Ntate Molemela and Dance Siwelele.
