Siphiwe Tshabalala Reveals to Briefly News Mzansi Football Is Not Where It Should Be: “We Are Behind”

• Siphiwe Tshabalala shared his thoughts on where Mzansi football is and where it should be
• The former Amakhosi player told Briefly News that the country can do a lot better if they put more effort into developing players
• He believes that with adequate administration, academies spread across the nation and solid international relations, Mzansi football can equal international football

Bafana Bafana legend Siphiwe Tshabalala believes South African football is not where it should be.

The former Kaizer Chiefs midfielder believes that the country needs strong leagues, strong academies and good administration to reach the international standard of football.

Tshabalala shares thoughts on SA soccer

In an exclusive interview with Briefly News, the midfield maestro shared his views on where football in Mzansi is, what's not being done right and what should be done.

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He believes there is potential for growth and improvement, but the country's football is not where it needs to be if it wants to produce the best in the continent and globally.

“When you look at thriving countries and their recruitment and scouting systems, they are the best. When you look at overseas players, they are plying their trade in countries with the proper resources to develop good players. We can follow that route and have a strong export system early to develop great players,” he said.

Shabba told Briefly News that if the country follows this route and creates a robust export system, Mzansi can produce 15-year-old players who can play for the national team.

“This is not happening because we are far behind in development. A 17-year-old player from South Africa and a 17-year-old player from Spain and England are different. They are worlds apart,” he said.

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“We need to learn and make sure we start now. It’s never too late. We have a chance with the current drop at the development level. We should start developing the players from the grassroots level and harness that raw talent.

"I’m a product of grassroots soccer, and many legendary players are. We played without proper coaching systems and sometimes with not enough resources. We played on gravel fields and sometimes without soccer boots, but we still made it this far.”

SA should invest in academies and relationships with teams abroad

Tshabalala also remarked that Mzansi should invest in academies and relations with international teams.

“We should have more academies. Each and every province should have three academies that are well run and are properly equipped with professionals in charge, including qualified teachers, qualified coaches and qualified administrators,” he pointed out.

“We should establish relationships with international clubs and start exposing the young ones to international tournaments early. Once we have that, it becomes easier for a team in Spain, for example, to say that they want a striker or a left-back because there is a relationship in place which will see us exporting players every six months.

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"The more they export, the more they inspire other players to work hard. The dream can be achieved through hard work,” he added.

Shabba plays his part through his foundation, the Siphiwe Tshabalala Foundation. He recently posted about it on his Instagram account, @siphiweshabba. Watch the reel here.

Siphiwe Tshabalala defended from online trolls by fans

In other news, Briefly News reported that netizens defended Siphiwe Tshabalala after a Facebooker called him a low-life.

This came after he trended for supporting informal traders by regularly buying from them.

South Africans sang his praises and thanked him for supporting small businesses.

Source: Briefly News