Publications
Partners
Cape Town - Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula has continued his scathing criticism of Bafana Bafana’s players after their early exit from the 2014 African Nations Championship (CHAN).
“If the technical team is the problem, then everyone must pack and go and we must take decisive actions,” said Mbalula.
“Even if those boys were playing in Nelson Mandela’s presence, I don’t think they would have woken up that day.
“The Madiba Magic wouldn’t have worked that day. I think they are a generation of a special calibre who must be forgotten, generally, and we must look forward.
“Even if you asked Danny Jordaan (SAFA president) to leave his presidency (role) and coach them they will never win I am telling you because they have no winning mentality.
“They don’t respect their mothers, they don’t respect their girlfriends, they don’t respect their brothers, they don’t respect anything.
“They just look at themselves and say we are fine useless as we are we’ll be paid tomorrow by SAFA, good luck, thank you, we'll go back to our football clubs.
“Sometimes you need to stand and fight for your country and your pride,” he added.
In the immediate aftermath of Bafana's CHAN exit, Mbalula lambasted Gordon Igesund's team - and singled out goalkeeper Moeneeb Josephs as the reason for the team's defeat.
"What I saw there was not a problem of coaching, it was a bunch of losers, who don't have any respect for this country and don't have any respect for anybody," Mbalula told a packed media conference in Cape Town, according to SAPA.
"That goalkeeper (Moeneeb Josephs), he was playing with the team, but he added up a whole lot of mess.
"The second goal... the goalkeeper commits a penalty, alone, single-handedly, and without being assisted by anybody.
"I love Moeneeb Josephs but I don't know what was going on with him yesterday... that is a total disgrace, a performance like that.
"I saw outside, people were lining up to greet them (Bafana Bafana).
"I'll never greet them, I did not even go to the dressing room, I did not even call them.
"To me, that was a disaster."
Mbalula was referring to Nigeria's second goal of the game, when Josephs made a handling error, which led to him trying to regain control of the loose ball, bringing down Fuad Salami in the process and conceding a penalty on the half-hour mark.
Mbalula was clearly not in a sympathetic mood, shifting his tirade from the goalkeeper to the rest of the team, though Josephs could not be blamed for feeling hard-done-by at the minister's hard words.
"First and foremost, I want to concede that we, indeed, have a crisis of monumental proportions and this tournament was just one journey that proved we don't have a crisis of talent, we've got a crisis of putting everything together.
"The people of South Africa wake up and get this mediocrity. I felt like just standing up and walking out." Mbalula pointed to the Nigerian camp, who he said were in disbelief after Bafana failed to trouble them anywhere on the field.
"Two useless goals, I mean, Nigeria were shocked.
"I saw their coach starting to stand up, he couldn't believe.
"They thought they were going to meet the lions, whose stadium was filled to capacity, to come and fight for their own country, but what did they come to meet?
"Just a bunch of unbearable, useless individuals," Mbalula concluded.
Bafana’s next assignment is to qualify for the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) to be staged in Morocco next year.
GALLERY: Bafana's Eagles agony!
VIDEO: Fans respond to Bafana's loss
VIDEO: Soccer Laduma Editor Clint Roper on Bafana and Mbalula's comments
“If the technical team is the problem, then everyone must pack and go and we must take decisive actions,” said Mbalula.
“Even if those boys were playing in Nelson Mandela’s presence, I don’t think they would have woken up that day.
“The Madiba Magic wouldn’t have worked that day. I think they are a generation of a special calibre who must be forgotten, generally, and we must look forward.
“Even if you asked Danny Jordaan (SAFA president) to leave his presidency (role) and coach them they will never win I am telling you because they have no winning mentality.
“They don’t respect their mothers, they don’t respect their girlfriends, they don’t respect their brothers, they don’t respect anything.
“They just look at themselves and say we are fine useless as we are we’ll be paid tomorrow by SAFA, good luck, thank you, we'll go back to our football clubs.
“Sometimes you need to stand and fight for your country and your pride,” he added.
In the immediate aftermath of Bafana's CHAN exit, Mbalula lambasted Gordon Igesund's team - and singled out goalkeeper Moeneeb Josephs as the reason for the team's defeat.
"What I saw there was not a problem of coaching, it was a bunch of losers, who don't have any respect for this country and don't have any respect for anybody," Mbalula told a packed media conference in Cape Town, according to SAPA.
"That goalkeeper (Moeneeb Josephs), he was playing with the team, but he added up a whole lot of mess.
"The second goal... the goalkeeper commits a penalty, alone, single-handedly, and without being assisted by anybody.
"I love Moeneeb Josephs but I don't know what was going on with him yesterday... that is a total disgrace, a performance like that.
"I saw outside, people were lining up to greet them (Bafana Bafana).
"I'll never greet them, I did not even go to the dressing room, I did not even call them.
"To me, that was a disaster."
Mbalula was referring to Nigeria's second goal of the game, when Josephs made a handling error, which led to him trying to regain control of the loose ball, bringing down Fuad Salami in the process and conceding a penalty on the half-hour mark.
Mbalula was clearly not in a sympathetic mood, shifting his tirade from the goalkeeper to the rest of the team, though Josephs could not be blamed for feeling hard-done-by at the minister's hard words.
"First and foremost, I want to concede that we, indeed, have a crisis of monumental proportions and this tournament was just one journey that proved we don't have a crisis of talent, we've got a crisis of putting everything together.
"The people of South Africa wake up and get this mediocrity. I felt like just standing up and walking out." Mbalula pointed to the Nigerian camp, who he said were in disbelief after Bafana failed to trouble them anywhere on the field.
"Two useless goals, I mean, Nigeria were shocked.
"I saw their coach starting to stand up, he couldn't believe.
"They thought they were going to meet the lions, whose stadium was filled to capacity, to come and fight for their own country, but what did they come to meet?
"Just a bunch of unbearable, useless individuals," Mbalula concluded.
Bafana’s next assignment is to qualify for the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) to be staged in Morocco next year.
