The PSL leadership has been left “annoyed” by the South African Football Association (SAFA) and recent comments by Technical Director Walter Steenbok, resulting in the league to snub the SAFA events this weekend, iDiski Times has learnt.
Steenbok, who was appointed as the SAFA TD last year, has seemingly upset the PSL leadership, as he is eager to make reforms in the state of football in the country, one of them getting rid of coaches who are ineligible to coach in the PSL without licenses.
The former Kaizer Chiefs scout said this week that the CAF A licence should be a requisite to coach in the DStv Premiership and the B licence should be requisite to coach in the Motsepe Foundation Championship.
Steenbok went as far as mentioning names of the coaches who are coaching in the PSL without requisite coaching badges, which wasn’t well received by member clubs.
He revealed that this move was part of CAF compliance licensing regulation, stifling what is already a mired relationship between the football bodies in the country.
Also SAFA CEO Tebogo Motlante said the age-group of the DStv Diski Challenge should be reduced to U18, yet another clashing point with the PSL, as this competition is meant for the reserve league and allows players of U23.
The accusations has led to the PSL releasing a statement on Thursday, saying they won’t attend SAFA’s events this weekend.
“The Executive Committee discussed the agenda circulated by the South African Football Association (SAFA) for a workshop/Indaba of the Association’s Regional Members set for the 21st and 22nd of April 2023 which is to be followed by an Ordinary SAFA Congress on Sunday the 23rd of April 2023,” the PSLExCo said via a statement on Thursday.
“The Executive Committee unanimously resolved that the PSL would not attend the workshop/Indaba or the Ordinary SAFA Congress.”
An iDiski Times source said the PSL is right in rejecting SAFA’s agendas, as the FA has dismally failed to help the PSL.
“PSL is right in their decision of no-show,” said the source.
“Countries like Zambia are offering coaching courses and some South African coaches are considering to go there and do the [CAF] B licence, even David Notoane wants to do it, others who have money are doing it in Europe [UEFA Licences, leading SAFA to lose money].
– Advertisement –
“What is the problem at SAFA under three Technical Directors, Head of Coach Education for the last six to seven years? They could not put CAF A and B license curriculums.
“What CAF has done has localised it that each country must draw their own after they have given you guidelines. To make it more strong, you must design your local content to fit your own football environments.
“But people who have been at SAFA – from the time of Fran Hilton-Smith, Neil Tovey, Frans Mogashoa, even now Walter, all of them don’t know how to design it.
“So it is not fair to blame the PSL because SAFA hasn’t had courses [in SA since 2017] and not everyone can afford to go to Europe to do UEFA licenses.”
There is also an issue of the national team coach Hugo Broos, who wanted to meet all the PSL coaches in one go, but the PSL said he can meet them by going to individual provinces, but Broos declined that.
“The PSL couldn’t get hold of all the coaches in one place like what Hugo Broos wanted,’’ added the source.
“They said, if he goes to KZN or Limpopo, he can meet all the coaches there. But apparently he [Broos] didn’t like it that way so you can’t blame the PSL for that.”
To resolve this matter, the PSL statement added: “it will seek an urgent audience with the Minister of Sports, Arts, and Culture [Zizi Kodwa]; the President of CAF [Patrice Motsepe]; and the stakeholders that support professional football; and then call an extraordinary meeting of the PSL Board of Governors to report on the matter.”
Story by Robin-Duke Madlala (@duke_robin).
