Orlando Pirates legend Aubrey "Sense of Knowledge" Lekwane blames Premier Soccer League clubs for 'failing the current crop of players'.
Lekwane believes the reason behind clubs failing to dethrone Mamelodi Sundowns as league champions is due to club bosses taking shortcuts when employing coaches.
"First of all, we have lost our football identity. Just because Pep Guardiola and Arteta are excelling in tiki-taka, the whole world wants to play like them," Lekwane charges, speaking to KickOff.
"Players need to improvise, they need to use their minds and skills when the coach’s tactics are no longer working.
READ: Super Seema touches new heights at Sekhukhune
"Our players are being programmed by coaches to play a certain (type of) football. Not only Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates have that serious problem, it's the whole league.
"The majority of teams in the PSL don't want to see ex-professional players next to them. As former professional footballers, we are well equipped with coaching licenses, but in most of these team development structures, you will never find even one former player working there.
"If I played for Pirates, it means the love and culture of the club is instilled in me. So, I'm better suited to be the one who passes it on to the next generation.
"In our days, Pirates, Sundowns and (Kaizer) Chiefs all had the best players. The competition was high, and you could never find one team dominating and winning the league nine times in a row.
"Today, some of these PSL teams' coaches don't have coaching qualifications. You go to Moroka Swallows and you find Musa Nyatama. I mean, you cannot retire now and the next thing you are coaching in the PSL. You can't start there. You have to start somewhere.
"The PSL teams are failing our players by appointing such coaches to be in charge of their careers.
"A good example is Rulani Mokwena, he graduated from being an academy coach to coaching the reserves sides and now he is doing it in the PSL. He is now experienced. That’s what we should be doing.
"You can’t just take any retired footballer and make him your coach. It's not always about knowing how to play the game, it's also about the experience.
READ | Spurs forge ahead with protest
"I'm a SAFA coaching instructor, we teach coaches how to be accredited. Just by looking at the coaches who are currently in charge of the young ones in our clubs, you will see that our football is not going anywhere.
"It's hurting to find a 22-year-old coaching the youngsters when he still needs coaching himself. Most of them never played football.
"To be a good coach, you need to have experience of having played the game, or at least start at the bottom, you can't start your coaching career in the PSL."
You must be SIGNED IN to read and post comments.
Click HERE to register!
