Orlando Pirates legend Teboho Moloi feels the key to turning around South African football's fortunes may lie with the current CAF president.
"We've got a CAF president who is coming from our country, I wish whatever he did to turn Sundowns around, to help them become the best team in Africa, he can also do for the continent, especially our country," Moloi tells KickOff.com.
"We've seen in the past that CAF presidents helped their countries qualify for AFCON and Champions League.
"As a CAF president, he must turn our fortunes around. We must go back to what we used to be prior to '96.
"We should go back to where we used to have an influx of players going abroad.
"We must induct the young boys, we must tell them why the likes of Kalamazoo [Steve Mokone] left the country.
READ | Bobsteak breaks silence on Njabulo Blom contract standoff
"Why the generation after them wanted to play overseas. There was an influx you know after '93, Fani Madida left, and I followed with Shoes [John Moshoeu] and Steve Khompela.
"After that, there was just an exodus, the likes of Lucas Radebe, Doctor Khumalo followed.
"We must sit down with Themba Zwane and tell him as South Africans we regard him as the best player, you are in the same class as Dembele and Mbappe. So this is the reason we want you to go overseas.
"We must stop criticising them, yes the doors are open but are we doing enough to educate our players?
"At the moment we don't even have school football, So what is it that our kids are doing on Wednesdays?
"Before a player decides to come back home he must pick up his phone and ask somebody who has persevered overseas, how he did it.
"Shoes could open doors for our boys in Turkey, Sibusiso Zuma can open the doors for our boys in Denmark, Benni McCarthy can open doors in Portugal, Steven Pienaar can open doors in Holland, Lucas Radebe can open doors in England.
"But we not using these keys to open doors for these boys. We must constantly tell these boys we want South Africa to be number one in Africa, we want South Africa to be constantly in the top four in the world.
"So I just hope after this World Cup Mr Motsepe will put things in place like he did with Sundowns and we see a change.
"We know he is somebody who likes success."
You must be Sign In to post and read comments.
Click here to register: Sign In