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The ABC Motsepe League, unfortunately, drags your good name to the gutter. 

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Sizwe sama Yende

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I am writing to you with a broken heart on a football matter that has been bugging me for years.

But, let me begin by expressing my profuse gratitude to you and your family for your immense generosity, and since this is a business from which hardly a few get a return of their investment, I must also recognise and thank your altruism.  You have donated massive amounts of your money in supporting the beautiful game from school level right up to the professional ranks.

I thank you, personally, for your diligent work and dedication as president of the Confederations of African Football (CAF). We have all seen the sweeping changes you have introduced, and sponsorship money that you have lured towards the game in Africa.

We are all witnesses to the monster you have morphed Mamelodi Sundowns FC into being – a world class football club. Cynics and critics may argue that your deep pockets did the job at this club, but we all know that money is merely an incentive and enabler to turn an idea into reality. Hard work and good strategies enable money to fuel ideas. Mamelodi Sundowns is an embodiment your vision to take football to dizzy heights and generosity. Sundowns players are drilled so hard, but in return, they are deservedly compensated.  They are all unlikely to hit rock bottom in their retirement.

With your leadership at CAF, which is focused on optimising the commercial value of the game, there will soon be no need for African players to relocate to European leagues for a better payday. African clubs will soon be financially capacitated well enough to keep the crème de la crème of talent in the continent and even venture out into South American and East European countries to import talent.

What I am about to say does not in any way eclipse your tremendous achievements and contributions in the footballing world.

The ABC Motsepe League has been my and many football lovers’ nightmare and eyesore. And, since it bears the Motsepe name, I thought that I was justified to alert you to our trauma. If I want to be dramatic, I may say the league is shambolic. I am not, but I find no other word to describe it. Does the league in its state deserve the eponym – Motsepe? No, I say, considering what I have mentioned above about your good intentions about the game.

Every now and then, we hear and see referees being beaten up, in some instances to a pulp, for their wrong or unfavourable decisions on the field of play. This points to a rampant problem of match-fixing and/or lack of training of match officials accompanied by a lackadaisical, nonchalant attitude to violence by those who should enforce and instil discipline.

Corruption pervades every facet of trade in our country and, so, is violence, as the crime statistics indicate. You may, partly correctly, argue that these are matters beyond your control.

We see fans invading the pitch to assault match officials and opposition players and coaches. Violence is a scourge in South Africa. Homes are wrecked by violence, streets are gripped by violent gangsters. Where should people find a break if, when they go to a soccer match for entertainment, they still experience violence, and corruption? You may, correctly, argue that you are not a policeman, but this violence happens right inside your house.

Mr President, the most important individuals this league is built on are not happy at all. I am talking about the players. Well, the league is riddled with many players who have seen the end of their better days, but I would like to focus on those who are still young enough and still have a chance and harbour ambitions to play in the NFD, PSL or pursue hard currencies overseas.

More often than not we hear stories of these players not being paid what they were promised by club chairpersons, sleeping with pangs of hunger and transported for 300km or more on the back of open bakkies. This is not your problem to solve, but it is happening in your esteemed name.

It takes a lot of sacrifice for anyone to establish a club at this level. It is financially-crippling. Most of these club owners are, in one way or another, generous and altruistic as you are, Mr President. We should not falter their commendable contribution and sacrifice, but we can at least keep their passion under check to ensure it does not reach beyond their financial capacity.  How about you consider the following:

·      If you can still stretch your financial resources more, increase the grants these ABC Motsepe League teams get;

·      Screen the team owners in this division tom ensure that they can absorb the financial pressure that comes with running a team in this division. Can they afford to put players in decent clubhouses and feed them decently? How about compensating the players? I am not saying football should be accessible to the elite. Club ownership must, to a certain extent. Club owners intentions need to be scrutinised as, like in the olden days, it is easy to run a gang under the guise of a club.

·      Lower the age of the majority of players each team can field to under 23 as this league should supply our junior national teams with players plying their trade in a very competitive league. This should be the league where all professional teams are watching with hawk’s eyes to identify and sign talent.

It is shameful what these players go through. I have a firm belief that this division needs a bit of restructuring and care as it is our highest division before the professional ranks.

Even if you could make it a national league and reduce the participation of clubs from each province to three, increase the grant money, devise a sponsorship strategy – this can make players in this division earn good wages and further their education in case they do not get the much-coveted professional contracts.

Mr President, too many ugly incidents undermining your name have happened in this league, and I hope that you can now start to notice.

Anything associated with your name - I have mentioned Mamelodi Sundowns FC and your excellent CAF presidency - raises our expectations and must be nothing but world class. You are an epitome of black excellence, Mr President.

The ABC Motsepe League, unfortunately, drags your good name to the gutter. 

Thank you once, Mr President, for uplifting the standard of football in Africa.