Walter Steenbok, the SA Football Association’s new technical director, has committed to being a bridge between Bafana Bafana boss Hugo Broos and Premier Soccer League coaches.
Belgian Broos has complained that after writing to the PSL requesting permission to meet with the coaches his requests were met with silence.
“It is a relationship that I will take upon myself to fix. I need to hold hands with Broos so that we can mend that relationship. I’m in the coaches’ group. I’m in contact with all of these coaches.
“They’re my colleagues and I want to be a bridge between Broos and the PSL coaches. It’s a process I’m willing to be part of because there are critical issues that must be discussed. I still have to meet the national team coach.”
Steenbok started his tenure on Monday, a job he will occupy for five years. He’s quick to clarify though that he is not Broos’ boss. “When you go to the Fifa organogram, the technical director (TD) and the coach operate at the same level. So the programme of Bafana Bafana is not the TD’s responsibility.
“The job of the TD is football development programmes, tracking the pipeline and taking the players into the national teams. The senior national coach and I are on the same level. He doesn’t report to me. My job is to help SA deliver.”
Steenbok, who has worked at Mamelodi Sundowns and Kaizer Chiefs as a scout, is worried about the frosty relations between the two camps who, effectively, are two sides of the same coin.
Broos has an acerbic tongue. Some of his comments have caused tensions, such as when he talks about the poor quality of PSL players. It is an act deemed tactless for a coach who has to call on those same players.
The comments by the coach will be dealt with in the Safa/PSL liaison committee. They need to schedule a meeting and I want to be part of it. I’m not condoning or condemning what he’s saying
“The comments by the coach will be dealt with in the Safa/PSL liaison committee. They need to schedule a meeting and I want to be part of it. I’m not condoning or condemning what he’s saying. Somebody said to me: ‘When you have coaches who are not qualified in the PSL it means the players are left unattended.’ It’s a fact,” said Steenbok.
“But remember the PSL is an associate member of Safa. I don’t want us to throw stones. From both sides, things need to be fixed. We [both] have to look at ways to promote the game. As to whether we have poor quality players, no. We’re in a slump and we know the reasons why we’ve been in a slump.
“But if you check the team that played against Ghana in a World Cup qualifier, that lost against Ghana, it was relatively young in South African terms. They could have gone through to play Nigeria and they could have been in the World Cup. Our discussion would have been different today. We need to fix things but the comments of the coach should be put up in context in that committee. That’s how I want to deal with it.”
Steenbok agrees that the talent pipeline from junior national teams to Bafana has, at best, been a jumble of wrong ideas. “We’ve identified David Nyathi and Aaron Mokoena to be part of the national scouting plan. I have a strong background in scouting and I will help develop them as national scouts. I’ve already lined up courses that will really help them to understand the scouting development programme from Europe and what’s happening on that side and align with SA.”
Steenbok has had six predecessors whose legacies are no great shakes. Why should South Africans think he will be anything different, we ask.
“My predecessors did what they could and we need to give them credit. The office here has a lot of information. When I presented to the Safa national executive committee (NEC) I was very clear on what needs to happen. We have to look at what were the findings, the shortcomings and successes of Vision 2022.”
Say what? South Africans saw that vision implode before their very eyes, with Bafana denigrated to being the jokers in a pack of serious soccer playing nations.
“I’m not saying Vision 2022 was exceptional. I’m saying there are lessons. I’m going to look at Vision 2022 while having a chance to look at Vision 2030 that has been put up by the (Safa) NEC. I’m in the process of designing what I call a Safa technical renewal strategy.
“Some elements which were a success in 2022 will be there. The junior national teams have also been qualifying but I think the cherry on top was Banyana Banyana winning the Womens African Cup.”
Steenbok has committed himself to renewal. When we hear that word in relation to a certain political party, we shiver in our boots. “Renewal is the key word here. We need to renew the thinking and check what has happened around the world.
“Morocco are leading in Africa in many facets. What has made Morocco so successful? Can we steal something from them? English football has really developed, it has been exceptional.”
Steenbok, 51, also gazes in the direction of South America for lessons. “What can we pick up from Brazil? So the renewal strategy will look at what has happened and come up with plans. But I also want to mention something in the strategy that’s going to be key: we’ve been lucky that Fifa recently released research of their analysis of the talent development ecosystem. What they’ve done is to analyse SA football and with that a foundation has been laid for me.”
Fifa were scathing about the current SA football situation.
“The report was scathing but it has given us an opportunity to lay the roadmap to what must happen. If we can fix 80% of what they’re asking, then we’re on a positive trajectory. One of the key things about the renewal strategy is that school football becomes important.”
Because currently it’s dead?
“It has always been paid lip service. We have to go to provinces and say ‘can we start Wednesday leagues?’ Currently it’s not at the level where it’s supposed to be. Others are doing well, some LFAs (local football associations) are doing well but others are not.
“The second part is bringing back interprovincial tournaments. So maybe we try to create our own pipeline as we used to do. Mbulelo Mabizela, Jimmy Tau, they all come from these interprovincial tournaments.
“We have to resuscitate grassroots football. We have to introduce performance and data analysis, sports science and research. Already University of the Western Cape is willing to come on board, Sol Plaatjie University in Kimberly is also keen. They can become centres for short courses. It is going to be very aggressive but streamlined with our operations.”
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.