The ANC government is satisfied that white and brown are being treated fairly and are given enough playing time in the country’s national soccer team, it appears from a reply of the minister of Sport to a question of Adv. Anton Alberts, the FF Plus’ parliamentary spokesperson on Sport.
This, despite the fact that there was only one white player in the group of 17 players of the South African national soccer team, this past Saturday and there is currently only one white player and two brown players in the first team group of 27.
The Bafana-Bafana group for the game the past week in Dobsonville, Soweto consists of Khune (c), van Heerden, Gumede, Letlabika, Mngonyama, Motupa, Nyatama, Masango, Twala, Ntshangase, Gabuza. Die plaasvervangers was: Mabokgwane, Madisha, Mabena, Mxoyana, Ntuli, Wana.
According to the Soccer website KICKOFF.com, it appears that only Marc van Heerden and the two brown players Rivaldo Coetzee and Clayton Daniëls are currently viewed to be good enough for inclusion in the struggling team.
Adv. Alberts says the state of affairs and the reply of minister Fikile Mbalula is regrettable as the minister had last year given an undertaking to him and several other persons that steps would be taken to allow more white and brown players to play for the team.
This followed dissatisfaction about the government’s insistence that a certain number of black players should be included in the national rugby team.
The minister’s full response to the question of Adv. Alberts states that all sports teams has to transform to comply with national demographics and that the current soccer team has 80% black, 9% brown/Indian and 9% white players.
“That means that white brown and Indian players have the opportunity to be chosen,” the response reads.
Adv. Alberts said it is a pity that the minister, despite the proof on the field, is trying to mislead the public.
“Yesterday the whole country celebrated the world cup victory twenty years ago of the Springboks. It as one of the few true moments of nation building that our country experienced.
“Yet the government will continue to break down our sports teams through political interference until they have succumbed to mediocrity, as is the case with Eskom and the country as a whole have done,” Adv. Alberts said.
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