From being in the presence of two South African presidents
to high-fiving the third, South Africa’s national women’s football team coach
Desiree Ellis is determined to grab headlines at the FIFA Women’s World Cup in
France.&nbsp; 



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As the country celebrates 25 years of democracy since the
fall of apartheid, South Africa’s women’s football team Banyana Banyana will
make a landmark appearance at the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup, to be held
between June 7 and July 7 in France.



&nbsp;The years of toil,
tears and sweaty perseverance beyond the pitch are indescribable for the team’s
coach Desiree Ellis months after qualifying for the acclaimed international
football championship.



When we meet her, she vividly recalls the qualifying match,
one of the most defining moments of her career. 



With 10 minutes left to the final whistle, as tension
mounted on the field, Ellis ascended a ladder for a closer look as history
unfolded, that day in 2018 in Ghana. 



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="410" height="617" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Soccer3.png" alt="" class="wp-image-41373" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Soccer3.png 410w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Soccer3-300x451.png 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Soccer3-199x300.png 199w" sizes="(max-width: 410px) 100vw, 410px" /><figcaption>Banyana Banyana Coach Desiree Ellis. Picture: Gypseenia Lion </figcaption></figure></div>



“I knew we were 10 minutes away but in football, anything
can happen,” she says. 



Ellis recalls a previous World Cup qualifier when things
went completely wrong. 



In 2014, Banyana lost to Nigeria during a semi-final
qualifying game. After the match, the mood was somber as the team drove home,
she recounts. It’s moments like those that make this 2019 qualification that
much more precious for Ellis. 



As they faced Mali’s national team, The Eagles, in the 2018
Africa Women Cup of Nations (AWCON) tournament hosted in Ghana, a tired and
overworked Banyana team played to their fullest leaving Ellis with no choice
but to scream in celebration of their ultimate victory.



 “I tried to stay calm so that the players could be calm. They kept shouting ‘manage the game’ and we kept control of the game fantastically. We were leading two-nil and when they said two minutes I could’ve screamed.



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote">“When the final whistle went, the scenes were amazing. Oh goodness, you just didn’t know where to run, who to hug or what to do,” Ellis exults. </blockquote>



A solid defence strategy mixed with a patriotic passion for
both the game and teamwork ensured an eventual win.&nbsp; 



“Many of them were there in 2014 when we didn’t qualify and
for a lot of them, it might have been the last opportunity to go to a world
cup. That really drove them. We needed to take it seriously and make sure we
don’t go to the third and fourth place.”



Armed with renewed confidence and a French translation book
to speak and understand basic French, Ellis is equipped to lead the women’s
team to possible glory at the international championship this month.



&nbsp;She owes her passion
for the sport to her community where she started playing at the tender age of
six. Back then, little did she know how far soccer would take her – or how far
she would take soccer.&nbsp; 



If that six-year-old girl from Salt River, a Cape Town suburb, had looked into a crystal ball at the time, she would have seen herself lead the team she once played for, and also rub shoulders with three South African presidents.



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&nbsp;“When you talk about
significant moments, it most probably is your first game, your first cap or
being made captain but I think those are small milestones. I have had the
privilege of having lunch with the late President Nelson Mandela, with a lot of
other athletes in Cape Town, at his residence,” she tells FORBES AFRICA. 



Ellis has also received a presidential silver medal from
president Thabo Mbeki and interacted with former president Jacob Zuma when she
was an ambassador for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.&nbsp; 



“We played a game in Cape Town during the World Cup. The
game was 10 minutes before the Argentina game, and I came off the field as
president Zuma came on and we high-fived each other.



“It comes with the work you put in. I don’t think many
people can be fortunate to say that they have interacted with all three
presidents.”



Ellis regards the role leaders play as an important one in
relation to sport, particularly when it comes to creating opportunities for the
marginalized.



“When president Nelson Mandela was released, I got the
opportunity to play national football. Prior to that I never played. I was 30
years old,” she says. 



Her unwavering focus on the game, she adds, and the many
sacrifices she has had to make along the way changed her story from just
playing soccer with boys on the streets of Salt River to achieving national
glory. 



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="926" height="615" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Soccer2.png" alt="" class="wp-image-41375" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Soccer2.png 926w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Soccer2-300x199.png 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Soccer2-600x398.png 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Soccer2-768x510.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 926px) 100vw, 926px" /><figcaption>Banyana Banyana Coach Desiree Ellis holds a portrait of the team in 1993. Picture: Gypseenia Lion</figcaption></figure>



Her career goals even left her financially vulnerable, at
times. At the peak of her football career, a young Ellis, who worked at a local
butchery, had left for a football weekend and could not make it back to her workplace
in time to mix spices. That lapse resulted in her losing her job.



&nbsp; “Knowing your worth
can open doors,” she advises as she speaks to us at the state-of-the-art
headquarters of the South African Football Association (SAFA) in Johannesburg.



“Our federation is excited that they took the opportunity to
appoint female coaches for female teams. Most importantly, it is not just
making those decisions in appointing us, but also supporting us.”



Support does not only come from management but also fans who
play a role in encouraging the women to reach their potential – both on and off
the field. 



“We played in Cameroon in 2016 and the stadiums were packed, we played in Ghana and there were full stadiums. We came to Port Elizabeth and they [fans] were the 12th and 13th players for Banyana. The best fans we had [were] in Durban. It was absolutely amazing, and it [support] hasn’t only grown on the stands but on the field as well. The Under-17 team qualified for the World Cup, so it shows how the game has grown,” says Ellis. 



Although local leagues for women have increased on home
soil, there needs to be more opportunities that give African players a chance
to break into the sport and develop their global competitive edge. 



It starts with prioritizing junior levels. 



“Players are getting opportunities to study. I remember back
when we were playing, you were either unemployed or you had a job and 80 to 90
percent of the players were unemployed back then. If you look at the national
team now, 80 to 90 percent of the players have a degree or are currently still
studying. Players are getting opportunities to study or play abroad. We have a
lot of players playing abroad but I think more can be done.”



As a national asset, Ellis argues that focusing on the game
is far more important than worrying about issues that are beyond control. 



Once focus is lost, it manifests in all areas.&nbsp; 



“When people ask me about the money, I tell them I am a
technical person. You tend to concentrate more on your job as a coach and leave
the rest, because you can get side-tracked by all the other things. We don’t
worry about those things,” she says.



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="945" height="611" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Soccer4-1.png" alt="" class="wp-image-41377" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Soccer4-1.png 945w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Soccer4-1-300x194.png 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Soccer4-1-600x388.png 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Soccer4-1-768x497.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 945px) 100vw, 945px" /><figcaption>Desiree Ellis and Portia Modise&#8217;s portraits at the SAFA headquarters. Picture: Gypsenia Lion</figcaption></figure>



“As a technical person, your job is to prepare the team, [use] the training sessions to improve the individual and the team. That is why we have a manager, but when it influences team performance, I come in.” 



As the national team jets off to face world soccer, Ellis is
working round the clock to ensure that the team will make the nation proud. 



“Coaching is not just blowing the whistle, there are other
things in between. You need a schedule; people want to know what you are doing.
You have to do reports as well, so it is not about blowing the whistle at the
end of the game.” 



It’s also about analyzing the opponents with the technical
team and coming up with strategies and a definitive plan of action. 



“Playing against top countries is difficult as they play
regularly against other top countries. That is where you want to measure
yourself and that is where you really want to go out and bloom. People call it
the group of death, but it is what it is. We will just take it one game at a
time.



“If we do more, football in Africa can only grow and grow.”



It seems more work happens off the field than on the field,
and Ellis, who prides herself on her technical prowess, hopes Banyana will pull
up its socks and bring home a glistening&nbsp;
cup.

Desiree

How Banyana Banyana Coach Desiree Ellis Has Become A Game Changer

Xavi has just got the ball from Sergio Busquets; Casillas makes the run to the edge of the penalty area as he receives the ball, dribbles past one opponent before playing a through-ball for Zidane, who lays it on for Iniesta on the left wing. Iniesta curls in a cross; Christiano Ronaldo rises at the far post to meet it with a powerful header –goal! The stadium erupts in thunderous cheer with cameras synchronizing in a blinding daze of flashes.
Unfortunately, this is not the commentary for a charity match with legendary players from the upper strata of football. There are no cameras in sight and instead of pristine, beautifully landscaped Astro Turf, we have sandy and rocky grounds.
Representing their icons are Obinna ‘Xavi’, Balo ‘Sergio Busquets’, Tola ‘Casillas’, Dayo ‘Zidane’ and Kola ‘Ronaldo’. We are in Lagos, Nigeria, watching the final game between two under-17 teams in the local league cup. The winner gets bragging rights as well as some products from a local FCMG brand.
Football is an overwhelming moment of beauty, spirit and pride and in the most populous country in Africa, that passion is palpable. Gianni Infantino, FIFA President, who was in Lagos at the maiden edition of the AITEO-Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) Awards this year, summed up this love perfectly.
“I was told that in Nigeria, football is passion, but it is a lie because it is more than that. In Nigeria, I was told that football is love, but it is a lie it is more than that. In Nigeria, I was told that football is a religion, but it is a lie. It is more than that. In Nigeria, football is life,” he says in his opening address to a room full of corporate executives, the upper echelons of power in government as well as the hall of fame of Nigerian football.
<blockquote>“Football is also business; when we can harness it properly, a lot of money can be made for the country through the game.”</blockquote>
The country’s love affair with the sport has blossomed over the years into an obsessive relationship. At a buka (local restaurant) in Surulere, a waiter is nearly slapped by an angry fan when he mistakenly changes the channel from a game between Chelsea and Man U to Soundcity, the indigenous 24-hour music channel that is a favorite of most of its diners.
After a heated exchange, the manager apologizes for the interruption and the game is back on. Commonsense is restored. Although this is a repeat match, the men watch intensely with the same passion and vigor of a live game.
“We found that football is the main pull for customers to our restaurant. They are passionate about football. It has turned into a family. Our customers come from all over Lagos to watch the games and once they are here, they have to eat and drink so it’s a win-win for us,” says Nnamdi Mayowa, owner of the restaurant.
As he speaks, a cheer rings out from outside the restaurant. Hordes of football fans have gathered to also catch a glimpse of the action and as any good football story goes, it all began with the kick of the ball in 1945.
That year, the Nigerian Football Federation was introduced as the governing body for the sport. Nigeria subsequently began participating in Africa’s Challenge Cup in the 1960s. Since then, the national team known affectionately as ‘The Super Eagles’, have had a fair number of successes. They won bronze medals in the 1978 and 1979 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) and in 1980, they won the championship in Lagos.
In 1984 and 1988, Nigeria subsequently captured silver medals in the tournament. Football had come to stay and with it a number of international stars were born and shipped to some of the world’s most successful football clubs with lucrative deals.
Then came the dark years. In 2010, Nigeria finished bottom of their group in South Africa with just one point from three matches after losing to Argentina and Greece and drawing with South Korea. In response, the then President Goodluck Jonathan banned the team from competing in the sport for two years. Then followed their exit at the 2014 World Cup where they lost to France, and a subsequent failure to qualify for the 2015 and 2017 editions of the AFCON. Nigerian football morale was at an all-time low.
Finally, a shimmer of light emerged at the end of the tunnel. The Super Eagles breezed through their group stage of the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers to earn a spot as one of only five African countries to make it to Russia 2018.
They were unbeaten in six matches with four wins and two draws, scoring 12 goals and only conceding four times, an incredible feat that took the team, led by German tactician, Gernot Rohr, to their sixth FIFA World Cup.
For Nigerians of this era, there is no sporting moment more significant than this triumph, especially as it is achieved against a backdrop of a sputtering economy that has gripped the country since the fall in crude oil prices and the Foreign Exchange (FX) fiasco of 2016 and 2017. The 2019 elections are also on the horizon and with it, greater economic uncertainty for Nigerians. The country has been increasingly marred by public dissent reflecting the mounting anger over an absentee president. To make matters worse, Nigeria has more than 300 tribes, making a consensus of any kind at the best of times, almost impossible to reach.
“We call football the unifying factor. When Nigeria is playing everyone comes together, we forget our tribes, we forget our differences, we even forget our religion. We all hug together when we do well and we all sulk together when we lose. Football is also business; when we can harness it properly, a lot of money can be made for the country through the game,” says Akin Alabi, founder of NairaBET, a leader in a wide range of betting opportunities on all sports.
Having attended two World Cups, South Africa in 2010 and Brazil in 2014, Alabi firmly has his eyes set on Russia.
“I want them to get to a quarter appearance. That will be the best-case scenario for me because I do not think we have gotten further than that,” he says.
However, he is quick to point out that this is not Nigeria’s strongest team.
“I think our 1994 team was fantastic. We do not have the caliber of players we had then, but no one has the perfect team out there. This is a national team and not like pro football where you can take money and buy whichever player you want. You have to make do with those that are available from the country you are from. So we are hoping it goes well,” says Alabi.
He believes the prospects of an African country actually bringing back the cup is far-fetched. Countries like Germany for example have a well-oiled football development machine, which helps them churn out a lot of quality players, which any African team cannot match right now.
“The German team is called a German machine for a reason, they have a well-oiled team and continuity. Their manager has been there for years on various World Cups so everything is run professionally. In Nigeria and Africa, when it is time for a match, we just invite players to run and play so that cannot work. We need better development in terms of processes,” says Alabi.
However, Brian Okonkwo is adamant Nigeria will go all the way to the finals. But then again, he would be. As a member of the Nigeria Football Supporters Club, he has dedicated his life to the advancement of the sport that saved his life as a troubled youth.
“When I was younger I used to be in an armed robbery gang and we did a lot of bad things to innocent people. I was on a fast track to jail or death but luckily, someone from my family was able to help me turn over a new leaf by introducing me to football,” says Okonkwo.
He has been present in all Nigeria’s five World Cup appearances in the past.
<a href="http://www.forbesafrica.com/sport/2014/11/01/african-football-cup-aces-sleeve/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">READ MORE: African, Football, Cup Up Aces’ Sleeve</a>
“I think we have everything it takes to bring this home for our people, the team simply needs the support of the country behind them and that is our job. We are with them all the way and we need the resources to enable us to do our job,” says Okonkwo.
According to the Club’s National Chairman, Samuel Ikpea, the club will take 1,000 people to Russia to cheer and support the Super Eagles. This means 1,000 visa applications, 1,000 hotel rooms and 1,000 mouths to feed for the duration of the Russia 2018 tournament.
“Football is a passion of the nation and we do this job out of love for the sport. We have been in this business for a long time and we are already sourcing for funds to ensure that we get to Russia. Unfortunately, it is difficult because we have not been able to receive any funds from the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) or the ministry of sports since this new government came,” says Ikpea.
According to Ikpea, this differs to the previous government who invested $140,000 to help them cover expenses to support the Super Eagles in the last World Cup.
“Teams like Nigeria come into the World Cup and historically something happens. They look great in the qualifiers then everything falls apart, something happens with the federation, somebody doesn’t get paid and now all of a sudden this team is in disarray going into the competition,” says Marcus Dawson, a sports commentator for Metro TV.
In the absence of adequate infrastructure, and in spite of the paucity of training facilities, football is played on streets, paths or fields. The potential of the sport has not been realized in the country due to the lack of support from corporate organizations that only see football as a CSR initiative instead of a lucrative business venture.
As a result, the NFF is fighting to ensure the team has adequate resources to efficiently compete in Russia. According to Amaju Pinnick, President of the NFF, the organization is working on generating $2.8 million for the Super Eagles’ participation in the games.
“Failure is not an option in the FIFA World Cup and we need to come together to ensure we provide the team with everything they need to make it through,” says Pinnick.
The organization receives support from private organizaitons like Aiteo who have a focus on developing the quality of football in Nigeria. So far, Aiteo has paid the sum of $600,000 and $890,000 to cover its contractual obligation of providing support to the technical crew of the Super Eagles for the whole of 2018, well beyond the World Cup, according to Deputy Managing Director, Francis Peters.
<a href="http://www.forbesafrica.com/sport/2016/12/01/wounded-swallows-roast-football-hell/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">READ MORE: Wounded Swallows Roast In Football Hell</a>
This however pales in comparison to investment in sports by their European counterparts. In a little more than a decade, Germany has invested nearly $1 billion in its youth soccer programs, with academies run by professional teams and training centers overseen by the national soccer association, the Deutscher Fussball Bund, according to a report in The New York Times.
Also of grave concern was the issue of the selection process for the team, which sparked widespread debates across the country. Like the case of Sone Aluko, a professional football player, who is a striker for Fulham FC but could not make it on the coveted team shortlist.
“The NFF is not responsible for making the selection of who joins the team. That is the decision of the coach. I know the story of Sone but unfortunately we are just focused on getting the team ready for Russia 2018,” says Pinnick.
Colin Udoh, a leading journalist and sports presenter, shares his insights on the team selection methodology used by the coach.
“It is the coach that selects not the federation even though they have some sway in the decision but ultimately it is the call of the coach. But yes, Sunday Oliseh, who was the previous coach, said he likes to pick players from the top division and I think most coaches in Nigeria want players who are playing at the highest level and the very best in the world rather than those playing in the lower division,” he says.
Secondly, Udoh claims that most European coaches like Rohr will not admit this is what they do. An additional criteria, which Rohr has also added to this team’s selection process evident in the team representing the Super Eagles, is the attempt to lower the average age of the players to 23 years except for John Mikel Obi, Leon Balogun and the goalkeeper where he is trying to integrate a bit of experience into team. So on these two key criteria, most players like Aluko unfortunately will fall out of contention.
“He is not in the top division and he also happens to be 28 years. I would pick him in a heartbeat but unfortunately I am not the coach. If you look at the way the team have qualified for the World Cup, you cannot argue with the results. Apart from that one loss against South Africa, Rohr has masterminded the success of the team to qualify for the World Cup and it is going to be hard to argue with that result,” adds Udoh.
It has been a long road to get here. Nigeria could qualify through the group stages by having the best balance of exciting promise and solidity. In every nook and cranny, and from every social stratum and walk of life, one thing is undeniable, and that is the game of football permeates every aspect of Nigerian culture, and Russia 2018 is another opportunity for the country to put away the differences and unite for this all-important goal.
After all, football in Nigeria is life.
<div id="attachment_36279" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-36279" class="wp-image-36279 size-large" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/GettyImages-161373524-1024x682.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="682" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/GettyImages-161373524-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/GettyImages-161373524-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/GettyImages-161373524-600x399.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/GettyImages-161373524-768x511.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/GettyImages-161373524.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />Nigeria&#8217;s supporters celebrate after their team scored the opening goal against Burkina Faso during the 2013 African Cup of Nations. Photo Getty Images.</div>

FBL-WC-2018-QUALIFIER-NGR-CMR

Nigeria; Where Football Is Life

South African football legend Phil ‘Chippa’ Masinga will always be remembered for his spectacular goal against Congo that took the national team, Bafana Bafana, to their first FIFA World Cup.
Celebrations broke out around the country as fans prepared themselves for the 1998 World Cup in France.
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“That was a great goal. I remember before the Congo game that a lot was expected from us to win so that we can qualify for our first ever World Cup. I was motivated to do well in that particular game, playing in front of our supporters who wanted us to win. I was determined to make use of any scoring opportunity that I got, so when I got that chance I took a long range shot and it went in. I was so happy after scoring, you could see in my celebrations that the goal meant a lot to me and it was very important for us to win,” says Masinga.
“Qualifying for the World Cup for the first time was something special for us as a team. We prepared ourselves well for all the games that we played. What really inspired me was the good team spirit in the Bafana Bafana camp. We were always determined to help each other and make the nation proud,” he says.
Masinga became a superstar from humble beginnings. As a boy, he played football in the dusty streets of Stilfontein, a mining town in North West Province. His professional career started at Jomo Cosmos in 1987 before spending three successful years at Mamelodi Sundowns.
“We had some good players at Cosmos, the likes of Augustine Makalakalane, the late Thomas Madigage and Helman Mkhalele. At that time we were doing very well at Cosmos and we used to give some big teams a tough time whenever they played against us,” he says.
“My move to Sundowns was another step forward in my career and we won some important trophies. I played alongside many top strikers at Sundowns and we used to keep the defenders from the opposition busy. I remember when Daniel Mudau came to us; we used to play well together, scoring some important goals for the team.”
In 1994, his transfer to Leeds United in the English Premier League, along with Lucas Radebe, made headlines and the club’s fans called him Waltzing Masinga. His opportunities at a star-studded Leeds were limited and after two seasons, he moved to St Gallen in Switzerland where he stayed for seven months. He then went to Italy where he played for Salernitana and Bari.
“Coming from the South African league straight to Leeds United in England was a remarkable achievement for me. The standard of soccer at Leeds was very high. It was a different environment because of the weather but as a professional I managed to cope in those conditions. It was good for me that I was surrounded by quality players at Leeds. My fellow countryman Lucas Radebe and Anthony Yeboah from Ghana then came to join me at Leeds. It was good to have them around.”
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“When I went to Switzerland it was much easier for me to adapt and settle quickly because of the experience I had at Leeds. I did not stay long there however the short time that I spent there was fine for me. In Italy, I stayed for one season at Salernitania and I spent four years at Bari. It was a wonderful experience that I went through in Italy because the standard of soccer there is also very competitive and I managed to improve as a player,” he says.
Masinga made a huge impact in South African colors. He was part of the team that won the African Cup of Nations in 1996.
“Winning the African Cup of Nations in 1996 was a great honor for the team. It is the biggest competition in Africa so I was very excited. The team played very well during the games that we won. We had a strong technical team and the support we got at home was very important.”
He scored great goals for the national team and was comfortable partnering any striker that was picked alongside him.
“As a striker I enjoyed my role in the national team and I partnered upfront with the different strikers. Whether I combined with Mark Williams or Shaun Bartlett it was very important for me to deliver for the team,” says Masinga, who scored 18 goals in 58 matches for Bafana Bafana.
Life hasn’t been easy since his playing days. Masinga went from being a multi-millionaire to bankrupt. In recent years, South African newspapers have reported that he had to move back into his mother’s house and sell his football souvenirs.
Masinga is still very passionate about the game. He has the Safa Level One coaching qualification and is currently studying sports administration. He is involved with a development project that aims to produce the superstars of the future.
“Soccer has always been part of my life, that is why I am inspired to give back to the game. (Former captain of South Africa) Neil Tovey and I are busy scouting and recruiting the up and coming youngsters who are the future Bafana Bafana stars. I enjoy guiding the youngsters. I feel there is a lot of talent in South Africa and it is important to help the youngsters in a good organized structure like we are doing. These youngsters that we are coaching are showing great promise, they do well when we organize friendly games against other top PSL teams. They have a bright future.”
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-3667" src="/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/CTP6082-1024x684-300x200.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" />
“When the right time comes, I feel I can also contribute to the game as an administrator. Through my experience as a player and coach, I feel I have what it takes to add value as an administrator,” he says.
Masinga has achieved so much on the field and is now leading the way off it as well.

From Dusty Streets  To European Dreams

More than half the world’s seven billion people watched some part of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa and it is expected many more will tune in to the Brazil tournament over the next few weeks until July 13. Less than a tenth of those will watch the tournament’s women’s equivalent.
Even though records of women playing football date back to 1892, it took 61 years after the first men’s World Cup in 1930 for a parallel women’s event to start. Six editions of the women’s tournament have been held and it commands only 407.8 million viewers. Africa and the Middle East, grouped in the same bracket for the official statistics, contribute only 39.2 million of those eyeballs.
That number is influenced by factors including technology and access to information but it also serves as an indicator of the value of the women’s game to the region. It is no surprise that Nigeria and South Africa – two of the counties with functioning women’s football leagues – lead viewership statistics with 13 million and 4.2 million people watching the Women’s World Cup respectively.
<div id="attachment_6336" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-6336" class="size-medium wp-image-6336" src="/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/B13KYMN0421-300x208.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="208" />Cape Town Roses (Dark blue) v Gauteng (blue) during the 2013 Sasol League National Championship on the 25 November 2013 at Alabama Stadium ©Muzi Ntombela/BackpagePix</div>
Nigeria is, by some distance, the African country that has advanced furthest in women’s football. Matches were reported on from the 1940s and it has had a women’s league since 1978. The most recent edition of the league, the 2013/14 season, has three divisions funded by the Nigerian Football Federation in the absence of sponsorship.
Despite a lack of regular competition, especially in their region, Nigeria’s women’s team is the most successful in Africa.
The Super Falcons are the top-ranked team on the continent, sit 34th in the world and have triumphed in eight African Women’s Championships (AWC) between 1991 and 2010. They have also participated in every women’s World Cup but have failed to get out of the group stage.
A large part of their success is on account of intense practice. In early April, Nigeria organized a training camp for their final qualification match for the AWC in May, giving themselves seven weeks of training time. Included in that was a friendly match against Cameroon, the next-best team in Africa. Games such as these is what captain Evelyn Nwabuoko thinks will make the team even better.
“We need friendly matches and we ought to play bigger teams. It’s not about results but about access to your players. You get to know your players and those to rely on during international games,” says Nwabuoko.
South Africa’s national women’s team has fared better in that department. They were the only African country to participate in the Cyprus Cup, an annual invitation-only tournament for women’s teams. South Africa have been to the event four times since 2009 but only won three matches and struggled against European opposition.
However, players described it as important to their growth.
“I found things very different from club level to the international stage – the tactics, ball work at training and moving into space at specific times during matches was a key learning area for me,” says Shiwe Nogwanya, a striker who is based in Bloemfontein in South Africa’s Free State.
South Africa also has a strong domestic structure in place. Last year, petrochemicals company Sasol signed a four-year deal to sponsor the women’s league and national team. Their’s is a multi-tiered league consisting of 144 teams, 16 in each of the country’s nine provinces.
Teams play every weekend to ensure continuity of game time and the provincial winners compete in a week-long national championship
in December.
<div id="attachment_6337" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-6337" class="size-medium wp-image-6337" src="/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/B13LAMN0368-300x183.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="183" />Cape Town Roses (red) v Bloemfontein Celtics (green and white) during the 2013 Sasol League National Championship 3rd and 4th on the 01 December 2013 at Matlosana Stadium ©Muzi Ntombela/BackpagePix</div>
Although not ideal because there is no premiership, South Africa’s new women’s national coach, former Dutch player Vera Pauw, believes it provides the pathway for players to develop.
“Without the league, there is no national team because all those players play in the league. The big challenge is how to get the 144 Sasol League teams playing with the best against the best on a more regular basis,” says Pauw.
Other African teams do not even have the luxury of that problem. Ten African women’s teams, including Congo, Uganda, Angola and Benin, are not ranked because they have been inactive for more than 18 months. Two others, Liberia and Kenya, have not played more than five matches against official opposition and so are only provisionally ranked. Others like Mauritius have yet to play even a single match.
Funding is the major challenge, something Lydia Nsekera, the first woman elected to the FIFA executive committee, who hails from Burundi, agrees with.
“There is little or no funding for female football in Africa, compared to what the male teams get. In Africa, there are people who even question the rationale for funding female football,” says Nsekera.
Small attempts are being made to change that. FIFA provides all African member associations a grant of $250,000 a year and since 2008, 15% ($37,500) of that had to be set aside for women’s football. Just like the number of people keeping an eye on the women’s game, that money is significantly less than the men get but it is all the women’s game has
for now.

Not This Time  For Africa

The 2014 FIFA World Cup presents Africa with another chance to showcase its talent on the global stage and highlight the great strides that football has made on the continent.
It would be fair to say that the performances of the African teams in 2010 were disappointing, except for Ghana, who were a Luis Suarez handball away from the semifinals.
For the rest of the teams – Nigeria, Cote d’Ivoire, Algeria, Cameroon and hosts South Africa – it was an early first round exit.
All are back in 2014, except South Africa, and now older and wiser, fans should expect an improvement.
We could also see a new generation of African superstars emerge.
When looking for African players who could set the tournament alight, the choices are vast.
You would have to start with three of the greatest the continent has ever seen – Cote d’Ivoire legends Didier Drogba and Yaya Touré, as well as Cameroon forward Samuel Eto’o.
Touré may make the 2018 event, but Drogba and Eto’o are surely taking part in their swansong World Cup.
<div id="attachment_2847" style="width: 229px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-2847" class="size-medium wp-image-2847" src="/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/140620368-219x300.jpg" alt="" width="219" height="300" />MANCHESTER, ENGLAND &#8211; MARCH 03: Yaya Toure of Manchester City during the Barclays Premier League match between Manchester City and Bolton Wanderers at the Etihad Stadium on March 3, 2012 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)</div>
The trio have won nine of the last 11 African Footballer of the Year prizes and in one of those years, 2007, it was handed to Frederic Kanoute when Drogba could not make the trophy presentation.
While Drogba’s best years are behind him, Touré is very much the man of the moment and his brilliant season with Manchester City makes him one to watch in Brazil.
Drogba could be used more as an impact player, but his experience and ability to conjure goals in moments of crisis is legendary. Perhaps Cote d’Ivoire might have made the second round four years ago had their talisman not been forced to play with a broken arm.
Eto’o is also not quite the master in front of goal of years gone by, but his guile and presence is enough to make him a danger for opposing defences.
These three have been the African giants of the past decade and will each be desperate to translate that into success come June and July.
But there are also other, less celebrated, players from the continent who could make names for themselves across the globe.
Ghana are a side packed with talent and players like Sulley Muntari, Kevin-Prince Boateng, Michael Essien and Kwadwo Asamoah are already household names.
But they have a young left-winger who has shown immense promise in recent times too, scoring almost every other game in his international appearances to date. Wakaso Mubarak plays for Rubin Kazan in the Russian Premier League and is a livewire with his pace and eye for goal. He will definitely get people talking.
Another to look out for is his compatriot Abdul Majeed Waris, a 22-year-old striker who cannot stop scoring for Valenciennes in the French Ligue 1 this season. He could be usurped by Asamoah Gyan if Ghana only play one striker, but could have an impact off the bench.
Cameroon wingback Allan Nyom showed in a recent friendly against Portugal that not only could he keep Cristiano Ronaldo quiet, but he is also a potent attacking threat.
He has spent the last five seasons on loan at Spanish La Liga side Granada, where he has honed his skills.
Another player on loan at Granada is Algerian playmaker Yacine Brahimi, who recently scored the winner against Barcelona. The former French junior international is in his second season in La Liga and grows every week, suggesting he will be a key element for the Algerians.
Cameroon striker Vincent Aboubakar went to the 2010 World Cup as an 18-year-old, but it was a little soon for the teenage prodigy. Now older and wiser, he has turned into a real goal-machine as Ligue 1 side Lorient have discovered.
Nigerian youngster Kenneth Omeruo may have been playing at English Championship side Middleborough on loan this season, but that is only because he is not deemed ready for the first team at Chelsea… yet.
However, the right-back, who can also play in the center of the defence, has been tipped as a future superstar and a good showing at the World Cup could accelerate his progress.
Super Eagles winger Victor Moses, on loan this past season at Liverpool from Chelsea, has talents that have been much admired, and soon the same may be said for Lazio midfielder Ogenyi Onazi. He has come through the ranks at the Italian side to stake a regular spot this season and also cement his place in the Nigerian starting line-up.
He played almost every minute of Nigeria’s run to last year’s Africa Cup of Nations title and was an unsung hero for them. His hard work got the team on the front foot and allowed stars such as Moses to weave their magic.
Let’s see what happens in the World Cup that is likely to belong to one of the South American countries. Anything that Africa does is a bonus because, once again, no one is giving us

African Stars To Shine Over Brazil

How many of the 32 coaches that will going to the FIFA World Cup in Brazil in June will still have a job after the tournament remains to be seen. If past experience is anything to go by, at least half may be out of a job.
Some will be sacked; others will leave. The end of a big tournament is often the right time to take on a fresh challenge.
The World Cup is often a catalyst for change because it is the end of one cycle and the beginning of the next.
Most football associations around the world do their planning in four-year blocks, starting after one World Cup and leading up to the next. So, it is only natural that there will be some change after this year’s event in Brazil.
<div id="attachment_2672" style="width: 210px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-2672" class="size-medium wp-image-2672" src="/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/180300328-200x300.jpg" alt="" width="200" height="300" />GENEVA, SWITZERLAND &#8211; SEPTEMBER 10: Spain coach Vicente Del Bosque looks on during the Spain v Chile international friendly at Stade de Geneve on September 10, 2013 in Geneva, Switzerland. (Photo by Harold Cunningham/Getty Images)</div>
Being a coach, especially an international one, is a stressful job. Coaches are always under pressure to get results, it does not matter which team you are in charge of, from Spain to Djibouti, fans and media expect success—the measure of that success is the only thing that changes.
Even Vicente del Bosque, the current coach of Spain feels the pressure. He won the World Cup with his country in 2010 and followed that up by claiming the 2012 European Championships as well, arguably the two most difficult international competitions to win.
Defeats for Spain have been rare, but when they do come, such as in the final of the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup against Brazil, or even the 1-0 loss to South Africa in a friendly in November, the questions that are asked of him, his players and his preparation are intense.
Del Bosque has built a level of expectation around the side and in so doing increased the pressure on himself. A single defeat is met with a lot of soul-searching. Goodness knows what would happen if they lost back-to-back matches, something that Spain has not experienced since 2006.
A lot of this pressure is also created by the media. It makes for great headlines and plenty of discussion online, but the truth of the matter is Del Bosque knows his job is under no real threat.
He has been tasked with taking Spain to the World Cup in Brazil and that is where the real pressure will kick in for him. What counts in his favor is that he knows he has the players to succeed.
Other coaches have different kinds of pressure, where the expectation for success is there but the playing personnel cannot back it up.
Coaches know better than anyone else the true quality of their players and just how much they can conceivably get out of them. They may get a bit of luck now and again to help them along the way, but for the most part they have to work within the constraints of their squad.
Being a national coach is vastly different to leading a side at club level.
With a club you work with the players six or seven days a week, you can work on their weaknesses and help them develop their strengths. You can sit through endless video sessions with them and analyze to a fine detail to try and get things right.
That is simply not the case at a national team level. You only have the players for a few days before a match. In that time your job is to decide which combinations will work best and try and get the side as organized as possible.
You can run some drills, you can provide some analysis of the opposition and sit through a few team meetings but that is about as far as it goes. Then, maybe, you see the players again two months later.
Leading up to a World Cup is different, where players are available for camps some three weeks before the start of the tournament. That is a slightly better scenario, but still nowhere near enough time to get your message across to your team like the coach of a club can.
That is why plenty of excellent club coaches have not been able to translate their success to the international stage. They are two very different roles. It is also why many coaches say the international game is not for them. They miss the daily interaction that club coaching brings.
Coaching at a national team level involves scouting for players, sitting through hours and hours of football on a weekend and knowing hundreds of players inside out.
There is a skill in knowing what you are looking for and picking players who complement one another. And, of course, you have to deal with the advice you receive from colleagues, agents and the media.
To be successful, coaches have to rise above that and need to have a clear picture of how they want their team to play and which players will best achieve that.
There is something to be said for carrying the hopes of a nation on your shoulders. Millions of people are expecting coaches to raise their spirits. That is real pressure, knowing that young and old are relying on you to provide the victories that will either leave the nation in a state of euphoria or despair.
Players often carry the blame in the media, but at the end of the day the buck stops with the coach and it is he who could lose his job. Players will keep on playing, maybe not for the national team but certainly their clubs, and their income is secured.
Coaches have to rely on their players to keep them employed. If you see a coach praying on the sidelines, it is often because they feel helpless.
As a coach you can pick the best players and devise the perfect plan but it only takes one small error from a defender, a slip by a goalkeeper or a penalty miss from a striker to lose a match. That is the thin margin between success and failure for many coaches.

If you want to coach your country—pray

Africa offers a great payoff for Coca-Cola. The brand known for its sometimes cheesy, sometimes inspirational tag lines, taps into the past and the present pulse of the continent. Its ‘we are one Kumbaya’ images resonate with the African ethos of Ubuntu.
So too does the narrative that anything is possible, which is captured by the Coke Side of Life advertisement campaign. Both messages are consistent with the image makeover Africa is enjoying, off the back of its status as the world’s second-fastest growing region.
For a company that probably receives more bad press than Walmart, especially for its less-than-savory business practices, it is important for Coca-Cola to be seen getting it right on the continent.
Dr. Susan Mboya Kidero, recently appointed to head up the Coca-Cola Africa Foundation, which is part of the company’s philanthropic arm, is a perfect fit for Coke.
Not only is she a cheerleader for the multinational, she is an ardent believer in uplifting communities. Careful to avoid the negative reputation that often accompanies corporates operating in developing countries, Kidero neatly sidesteps the limitations of charity in a world where philanthropy is under pressure to be more than just a handout.
“I live and breathe sustainability. Whatever I do, it needs to live. I don’t like the word charity,” she explains.
Kidero joined Coca-Cola in 2008, after 14 years at consumer goods giant Procter &amp; Gamble in the United States. Initially she was appointed as the general manager of Coca-Cola South Africa, a top-10 market for the company, which brings in more than $800 million in annual revenue. During her tenure, Kidero managed to increase growth, which had been in decline, and saw Coke participate successfully as a corporate partner in the FIFA World Cup in South Africa.
If her childhood nostalgia about carefully crafted Coke branding is anything to go by, it makes sense that Kidero ended up working for the world’s most recognizable brand. It also helps that, unlike many parents, Kidero’s mother did not tell her that the fizzy drink would make her fat or cause her teeth to fall out.
“I didn’t have a negative perception. I actually grew up associating it with fun. We didn’t have (Coke) every day, and so when we did, it was generally because company was coming over and we were all going to have a lot of fun,” says Kidero, smiling.
“We once asked (at a workshop): what is your favorite memory of Coke, or any of our products? And I said: for me, it is when we were growing up, Coke came in glass and it would clink. And whenever we would hear that we would think, oh we are going to have a fun day today! That sound is still a very positive sound.”
As an executive of the multinational, Kidero takes her role as brand ambassador to heart. She says heading up the Coca-Cola Africa Foundation is a logical extension of being involved in women’s empowerment, as both are about improving lives. Kidero’s phil-anthropy is also not small change. She, like her company, operates in the big league.
Besides leading the foundation’s philanthropic activities in Africa, Kidero also spearheads the company’s initiative to economically empower five million women worldwide by 2020. Known as the 5BY20 program, it provides finance to women who want to start a business linked to Coke, such as retailing or recycling. So far Kidero has raised more than $116 million in funding for the initiative.
She also guided Coca-Cola in forging a $100 million partnership with the International Finance Corporation, a member of the World Bank Group, to provide women entrepreneurs in Eurasia and Africa with easier access to finance.
At the foundation, Kidero’s port-folio is not limited to entrepreneurship; she also focuses on water, health and education, the most pressing needs of African communities.
Back in the day, Coke stuck to conventional charity-based philanthropy. But as non-governmental organiz-ations began pushing for more sustainable ways of assisting the poor, big companies like Coke could not afford to be caught napping. The multi-national caught on quickly, and so did its corporate responsibility programs.
“We said: we need a more focused way of doing this. Our best way of doing this is by empowering the community. How do we do this? Whatever we do, the initiative becomes the res-ponsibility of the community.
“So the foundation came about bec-ause we were trying to consolidate all the different parties that were doing charity work. We said: if we bring all of that together, we will be even more powerful. The biggest thing was putting a strategy in place that was going to be sustainable,” she explains.
Kidero believes philanthropy is vital for Coca-Cola because the company cannot thrive if the communities in which it operates do not thrive. She says Coke chooses projects to invest in based on their relevance for both its overall business and for the community concerned.
In 2013, the foundation spent just under $11 million on projects – 63% went to water, 33% to health and 4% to youth development. Kidero says it is planning to spend a similar amount in 2014.
Providing water access and preserving reservoirs consume the bulk of funding for Coke’s projects. Its goal is to replenish every drop of water it uses during the manufacturing process. This of course is because the company has been at the center of several disputes with environmental groups over conserving scarce resources.
The company is often criticized for its high water consumption in regions where water is scarce. In 2006, campaign group War on Want accused Coca-Cola of drinking India dry. Farmers in Ragasthan were unable to irrigate their fields after the company built a bottling plant in the area. Also in India, a Coke plant in Kerala was forced to close down after it allegedly contaminated local water supplies.
In 2008, the multinational set targets to improve its water efficiency by 20%. In 2011, it used 293.3 billion lit-ers of water to make 135 billion liters of product, giving it a water-use ratio of 2.16 liters per liter of product.
In Africa, where the lack of clean drinking water is a real concern, the company has been involved in 42 projects in 27 countries to reduce, rec-
ycle and replenish water supplies.
The Replenish Africa Initiative (Rain) is backed by a $30 million commitment from the Coca-Cola Company and other donors. It aims to provide more than two million people in Africa with access to drinking water by 2015. Kidero is planning to bring additional partners on board so that Rain becomes a $60 million initiative.
On the health front, malaria and HIV are a big focus for the foundation.
“In (South Africa’s) Eastern Cape, we are working with (NGO) Africare on a soup-to-nuts complete HIV prevention and treatment program. What we are trying to do there is create a model where we can actually show that over time we (reduce HIV)… We can then take it to government found-ations and say, ‘this model works, it has been validated’,” Kidero says.
The foundation also pumps money into education on the continent through initiatives that improve teachers’ skills.
Over and above her professional responsibilities, Kidero has her own fund. The Zawadi Africa Educational Fund provides young African women from disadvantaged backgrounds with scholarships to Ivy League universities. To date it has awarded 230 scholarships, valued at more than $45 million.
“I believe Africa is special, even with all our challenges. Africa has given me my identity. Africa has given me my confidence. I have a huge extended family; that is how we are in Africa… Africa is in full Technicolor. If you go elsewhere, it is muted.”

Share the feeling

From the deep well of Africa springs forth a steady stream of talent. In Europe, these shining African stars, with quick boots and level heads, dazzle the world.
Certainly it is much easier for youngsters these days. When I went over to Belgium, in the mid-1980s, I felt like a pioneer.
Now it is commonplace to find a player from Africa in every major league. That is great for the development of the game on the continent.
There are a number of young stars from Africa who are set to shake up the world this season.
These are my super six from Africa.
<div id="attachment_2153" style="width: 225px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-2153" class="size-medium wp-image-2153" src="/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/174562576_10-215x300.jpg" alt="" width="215" height="300" />VILLACH, AUSTRIA &#8211; JULY 27: Victor Wanyama of Southampton and Veli Kavlak of Bestikas compete for the ball during the preseason friendly match between Southampton FC and Besiktas Istanbul at Stadion Villach on July 27, 2013 in Villach, Austria. (Photo by Sebastian Patter/Getty Images)</div>
Egyptian striker Mohamed Salah looks as though he has all the attributes to be a top international striker. He has scored 15 goals in 21 starts for Egypt and is joint top-scorer in the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers as they enter the final round of group matches this month. The striker plays for FC Basel in Switzerland, but is being tracked by a number of top European teams. His reputation was enhanced when he was named CAF’s Most Promising African Talent of the Year for 2012.
Then there is Kenyan midfielder, Victor Wanyama, who signed for English top-flight side Southampton. He was at Glasgow Celtic last season and scored the winning goal against Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League. That is some way to announce your talent to the world and I think he could eventually take the English Premier League by storm. It will be a tough transition for him in a league were the football is played at 100 miles per hour. His previous stints in Sweden, Belgium and Scotland will have done little to prepare him for that, but if he is given the right support by the coaching staff and time to adapt by the fans, he could be a real hit.
Wanyama will join Zambian Emmanuel Mayuka, who had a slow start to his career at Southampton last season. I believe Mayuka, if given the chance, could make his name in England this season. His record at Young Boys in Switzerland, where he scored 32 goals in 55 games, was simply outstanding. Quality always shines through.
Richmond Boakye, who was born in Agogo, in Ashanti, and began his career with Bechem United, is an international for Ghana. He is a star of the side that finished third at the FIFA Under-20 World Cup in Turkey. He is worth an estimated €6 million and is likely to play quite a few games for Juventus this season. It is likely to be tough for Boakye to break into a side that has won the Serie A title in Italy for the last two seasons, but he does offer an alternative to the other forwards: Carlos Tévez, Fernando Llorente and Fabio Quagliarella. Don’t expect him to feature right away, but as the season wears on he should get his chance.
Boakye’s teammate in the Ghana junior set-up, Ebenezer Assifuah, was top scorer at the Under-20 World Cup with six goals and it will be interesting to see how his career progresses. He is still playing at home in Dansoman, Accra, with Liberty Professionals, but surely not for long.
<div id="attachment_2152" style="width: 240px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-2152" class="size-medium wp-image-2152" src="/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/171690519_10-230x300.jpg" alt="" width="230" height="300" />KAYSERI, TURKEY &#8211; JUNE 27: Ebenezer Assifuah of Ghana (L) in action during the FIFA U-20 World Cup Group A match between Ghana and USA at Kadir Has Stadium on June 27, 2013 in Kayseri, Turkey. (Photo by Steve Bardens-FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)</div>
Nigerian defender Kenneth Omeruo, born in Kaduna, showed that he is a star in the making at the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations, earlier this year, followed by fine showings at the FIFA Confederations Cup in June. He will return to his club, Chelsea, this season after spending last term on loan at Dutch Eredivisie side ADO Den Haag. Here, he could slot into the right-back position.
Looking beyond the African continent, there are a number of young stars who could become global icons this season.
Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior, a superstar at home in Brazil, will test his ability at Barcelona. The FIFA Confederations Cup confirmed his status as arguably the biggest young talent on the planet. His next challenge is to form a partnership with Lionel Messi, a player with whom he is compared. I think it will be exciting to see them play together.
Stephan El Shaarawy, who has an Egyptian father and Italian mother, revealed himself to be a star in the making at AC Milan last season and broke into the Italian national team. In Italy, they view him as the next Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo. Again, time will tell.
Mario Goetze’s move from Borussia Dortmund to Bayern Munich is a top purchase from the European champions and he should find a coach in Pep Guardiola, who will appreciate his playmaking skills.
Bayern paid €37 million (R4.9 million) for his services, making him the most expensive German player ever, but it could be money well spent on the winger, aged 21, who has years of improvement ahead of him.
Isco, who was signed by Real Madrid from Malaga in the last transfer window, is a player in the mold of Andres Iniesta and arguably the hottest property in Spanish football at the moment. He has made his debut for the senior national side and at Real Madrid. They believe he can have the same impact as the great Zinedine Zidane.
All of these are young players with great promise, but in truth they have achieved nothing yet and it is only with hard work and discipline that they will truly reach their potential.
&nbsp;
Football history is littered with stories of great youngsters who showed prodigious talent in their late teens, but fell by the way side by becoming more interested in what happened off the pitch, rather than concentrating on their career on it. As each year goes by, the standard of the game is improving. The current generation of players certainly have a lot a lot of responsibility on their young shoulders. Responsibility to maintain and enhance the beauty of the beautiful game.

A Dozen African Feet, Ready To Shake The World

Sighting a Moseme Road Construction yellow truck on the Johannesburg freeways during the 2010 FIFA World Cup preparations was a given. Travelling along the N1, the N3 or near O.R. Tambo International Airport, you were bound to bump into one—or a big board bearing the company’s grey triangular logo. The company is only one of a handful still standing after the near collapse of South Africa’s construction industry after the 2010 World Cup infrastructure boom.
“We were one of the few wholly black-owned civil engineering companies at the time that got the biggest contracts,” marvels Ernest Moloi, who is the sole owner of the company.
His business is now picking up after having to retrench staff and close down other business units. “I had to reduce the business and refinance it with R48 million ($5.8 million) of my personal funds,” says the maverick who explored at least 10 business ideas before settling on civil engineering.
Moseme currently employs 250 staff, with business units that include asset holding, property development and Roadfix, which develops asphalt that can remain in potholes for up to 20 years. The company is based in Brakpan on the East Rand of Johannesburg.
<div id="attachment_889" style="width: 484px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-889" class="size-large wp-image-889" src="/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/CTP4567-680x1024.jpg" alt="" width="474" height="714" />Enerst Moloi</div>
Since the economic meltdown and drastic slowing down of infrastructure development after the 2010 World Cup, Moloi has been travelling throughout Africa in search of business opportunities. He has managed to convince the Ugandan government to build a toll road from Kampala to the corridor of Kenya, and preparations are underway.
“First the government had to come up with legislation for that and then a feasibility study,” he says about an original idea that he pitched to the government. In property development, Moseme is planning to build shopping malls outside South Africa. They are holding discussions in Botswana and Uganda about the ventures.
Moloi founded his business from humble beginnings, through bold moves and determination.
“I asked a neighbor if I could build her two back rooms to use for generating extra income and she agreed,” he says.
He then gathered a few guys from the neighborhood who were  unemployed, bought building material and had them do the work while he managed the project.
“They did such a great job that the client was very pleased, and that was the beginning of my entry into the world of construction.”
This was in 1994, at the advent of Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) when the South African government was making efforts to empower historically disadvantaged individuals. Moloi took advantage of the socio-economic climate and used his
limited experience to seek government tenders.
“My first tender was for R25,000 ($3,000) to build a clinic in the informal settlement of Orange Farm, in the Vaal vicinity. I did not even own a car and therefore travelled by taxi every day from Soweto to the site,”
he says.
For someone who had been unemployed, this was big money. “Instead of paying myself a salary, I opted to pay only the workers as I had already figured, because I was the big boss, at the end of the job the balance of the money would all be mine.”
As it turned out, he had miscalculated the budget and ended up not getting a cent. That was his first and biggest mistake which he will not forget for the rest of his life.
“Since then I always engage an accountant in all my business dealings prior to signing any contract,” he declares.
The one lesson learnt from the experience was to treat himself as an employee and pay himself a regular fee. He said that this is a common error by most emerging entrepreneurs. They see the price value of a contract and then think that it will make them rich overnight.
Moloi’s next contract was valued at R45,000 ($5,400). It paid him enough to buy an old Honda Ballade. Life was better as he could get to work quicker.
Several contracts down the line, Moloi made his first million. Instead of getting excited by rewarding himself with a flashy car and a home, he resisted the temptation to show off with expensive material possessions. He continued his modest lifestyle as a tenant in his mother’s back yard in Soweto.
“I had to plough the money back into the business by purchasing the necessary equipment to operate it properly and efficiently,” he explains.
Today, Moseme is one of South Africa’s four biggest, wholly black-owned civil engineering companies. Its growth strategy was for a long time bolstered through joint ventures with some of the large construction companies, among them Murray &amp; Roberts and Group Five. At the height of the 2010 FIFA World Cup preparations,
the company’s order book was over R500 million
($60.1 million).
Moloi appreciates the good intentions that underpin the BEE legislation, especially since he has benefited from it. However, he feels that in civil engineering, not enough is being done to ensure that the intended beneficiaries garner the big contracts.
“The updated BBBEE (Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment) scorecard removed the HDI clause which gave black contractors an advantage with the 10% black-ownership rating. That killed a majority of black-owned companies because that was the only advantage they had to help them grow,” he says.
The new level rating is virtually color blind and therefore gives white-owned businesses the advantage because they are far more established and resourced. “This is throwing us outside of the market as white businesses can also source business in the private sector, which is predominantly white-owned anyway,” he says.
Moloi’s suggestion to government is that it strategically award contracts to black-owned companies that have made it in the industry on the basis of joint ventures with emerging contractors. This, he believes, could be the solution to combat fronting and therefore, gradually eliminate domination of the industry by white males.
His other concern is that fronting denies true black-owned companies the opportunity to develop, adding that already established black-owned companies should be supported.
“We are hopeful that the recent announcement of R800 billion ($96 billion) infrastructure development by Pravin Gordhan, Minister of Finance, will bring more work and we will be able to rehire.”
For Moloi to succeed as an entrepreneur, he credits his personal philosophy of patience and being thick-skinned. “Don’t be afraid to fail, and before pursuing a business idea set goals and do your homework.”

Tag: FIFA World Cup

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