The Perfect African Football League?
I just watched a video about this concept of clubs "farming" talent with global networks & thought, it's a good concept but just on too big a scale. The concept was proposed for an I. Y. L. Y. men's professional league system before except that instead of having international talent scouting networks, this league would get it's talent from regional teams in a "good talent gets filtered up" system.
The main points to take away from this league are:
• Top tier league teams never get relegated.
• Preseason skills challenge for individual players.
• Top tier league teams/academies "govern" the regions sports talent & administration.
• Player of the year is chosen by stats (formula used ensures less noticed positions like goalkeepers & defenders get an equal chance of winning).
• Highest goals-per-game ratio gets award.
• Professionalised referee academy/union.
• Team of the year is based on stats.
• Only Player's player of the year award/Coaches coach of the year award is selected by peers & not stats.
• Clubs can only register thirty players.
• Players don't choose numbers & get alloted numbers by position. (see chart below)
• League commences mid-late year (Gregorian calendar August) to allow the football fraternity to enjoy the Festive Season with hope their club could still do better.
Why South African football may never be great again.
I watch both African & global football. The simple difference between successful football nations & South African football is not exactly money but rather culture. This is one part of life where the culture of a land actually determines success. The simple truth is in South Africa there are two types of fans, the typical fans of what is called piano & shoeshine or kasi street style football & the fans of international football that believe South Africa should follow the global model of football. Personally, I think we should keep our identity but adopt what works in global football. I'm a fan of kasi street style football but I also believe South African football can use an overhaul. The South African league is very professional but it is disliked by minorities because it's mostly a "black sport". Nobody will admit this but I just have to expose it to ensure a full picture is obtained. The minorities would rather have rugby & cricket as the main sports in South Africa (because less black players play them), hence the sudden promotion of women's football & ignoring of men's football in South Africa. They thought that by taking it off TV, the masses would lose interest in local men's football. Not that South African football is world-class but it's still our own football & will always have an audience. The minorities of South Africa aren't that good at football in any case, they just want to be represented & it's near impossible when there are two worlds in South Africa revolving around different sports & different concepts of success. I'd even go as far as saying that South African football has been sabotaged by local & foreign powers. Not only that, the culture of South Africa's society today almost breeds selfish individuals who lack the character to take the team forward & take things into their own hands (or feet since it's football) in a game so we don't get icons & names in football that are known to deliver & put on a show. Instead, we get mildly talented footballers that are either chosen by their surname or the fact that they're tame enough. We all the know the true greats are footballers with a little artisticness & eccentric qualities but modern football doesn't seem to want that anymore. So tame, selfish types is all we get. There are layers of problems that are preventing South African football to play a consistent style consistently. There's no more culture & identity in our football, it all seems almost mechanical & not flowing & vibrant. Unfortunately, football is not live chess but a game where instincts & unorthodox techniques (creativity) can win games... these are qualities you can't really coach.