My 11 requests to Mr Motsepe, Mr Moloto and Mr Mosimane at Mamelodi Sundowns FC.
1. Number of signed players
Keep a squad of only 30 players. We currently have five goalkeepers on our books. Three of those are foreign goalkeepers! This is not necessary. The defence is solid. If Rashid Sumaila is coming back then we do not need to buy any more players. Let us trim the number of our midfielders. With Dolly and Ngele expected next season it will be difficult to keep all the players happy. We need a lethal, deadly and reliable striker, quality is better than quantity. A minimum 15-goal-a-season type of a striker is what we need. Strikers such as Raphael Chukwu, Daniel Mudau, Simba Marumo, Peter Ndlovu, Katlego Mphela and Nyasha Mushekwi had an eye for goal.
2. Loans and buying of players
No player over the age of 25 should be loaned out. By that age the players should be at their peak already. The difference between our team and Kaizer Chiefs last season was the players that we have loaned out to other teams. Musa Nyatama, Thami Sangweni, Dove Wome and Mogakolodi Ngele all scored against us just to prove a point. Sometimes it is better to let the fish swim with the sharks, if a player is not ready to play for the team at age 25 then he will never be ready. Longevity builds loyalty.
3. Consistency
Have a consistent starting eleven, even with the jersey numbers (like The Brazilians). It is not nice to see random jersey numbers all over the field (27, 35, 29) etc. Last season we played without the jersey numbers 1, 3, 5, 6, 7, 9, 11. Bafana Ba Style should after all be stylish right?
4. Forwards
We should keep only four strikers (two main, one back-up striker and one player from the development). With Abdul Razak in, one wonders if we will release some strikers as we currently have Malajila, Ramagalela, Mashego and Niang on our books!
5. Membership Cards
Can we please go back to the membership cards system for the sake of the beautiful game? It is always a pleasure to feel that you are part of the team, and not just a mere fly-by-night supporter.
6. Bafana Bafana
Let us work towards helping Shakes Mashaba with his Bafana Bafana vision whereby he will have an abundance of players to choose from. This past season we played Kennedy Mweene, Denis Onyango, Alje Schut, Khama Billiat, Anthony Laffor, Kudakwashe Mahachi, Mame Niang, Elias Pelembe, Ejike Uzoenyi and Cuthbert Malajila, yet we cry foul when we have only two players in the South African national team.
7. Loyalty and Passion
Let the players who do not want or wish to play for Mamelodi Sundowns be released. We do not want the Edward Manqele saga all over again. I understand that this is business but it doesn’t make business sense to pay millions of Rands on a certain player whose heart is somewhere else. I know that the team has that financial muscle to compete with any team locally but not all of us like the term ‘Big Spending Mamelodi Sundowns’, especially when it comes to buying average players.
8. Home Ground
Can we please use one stadium? This thing of using both Loftus and Lucas Masterpieces Moripe stadia is not working for us. What is the latest on the H.M Pitjie stadium? I have fond memories of that stadium, the team is at home and the supporters are just a walking distance from the stadium. Some of us travel from Johannesburg to Pretoria to watch the beautiful game. Nobody should say Mamelodi is not neutral for people in and around Tshwane. It is always better to join a local branch for transport purposes. There should be a system put in place whereby the supporters can buy the season-long tickets. Fiveteen tickets guarantees one to see all the local PSL-based soccer teams. By so doing, the team can already feel the presence of the 12th player during the match day, now that is what we call home ground advantage!
9. The Brand
Our marketing division is not up to scratch it must be said. We cannot rely on facebook and twitter to hear about what is happening at Chloorkop! Mamelodi Sundowns is from Tshwane, so it only makes sense to have billboards of our beloved team in all major townships. Also, there should be flyers and pamphlets with the fixtures, date, venue and time before the match day to increase the passion and drive for people to go to the stadium. It is not nice to hear people saying that Mamelodi Sundowns only have 500 supporters! The idea is to paint the city yellow. This might be a bit costly but all the major brands rely on advertising and promotions. Mind you, the term ‘Bafana ba Style’ was introduced during an advertisement on TV. Charity begins at home, we all know that Mr Patrice Motsepe’s dream is to conquer Africa. So let us first claim what is ours locally and take it from there. Mamelodi Sundowns have a lot of supporters, it is up to the marketing division to ensure that the fans pack the stadium.
10. MultiChoice Diski Challenge
MDC is a perfect tool for developing the youngsters. As much as soccer is a business today, it will also be nice to see the players from the local Pretoria townships (Mamelodi, Soshanguve, Mabopane, Atteridgeville and the surrounding areas) taking part in it. Ka Bo Yellow should never overlook the local-based players. If we can put much emphasis on our development then we wouldn’t have to spend any cent or million for that matter on any player locally.
11. Foreign players
Foreign players who don the Sundowns jersey should be better than the local-based players. After all, importing an item only makes sense if there’s scarcity of such an item locally or if the locally produced goods are below the required standard. I believe that before a player can ply his trade at any top European team, he should first play x number of games for his national side? Why not introduce the same rule at Chloorkop? Only top African players should be allowed to wear the green and yellow of the Brazilians. If the players we have cannot help their national sides qualify for AFCON, how will they help us conquer Africa? Messi, Hazard, Ronaldo and Pogba all ply their trade at foreign countries where they add enormous value!
By Thabang Polosmarty KBY