The future. . . Ayabulela Magqwaka, the captain of the SA under-20 team. Why was he not considered for Chan?
I suspect even the Safa executive does not know him, but that's how clumsy South Africa has been with football development. His name is Ayabulela Magqwaka. In case you are wondering what's special about this name, he's the national captain for the under-20 team.
So what? He led from the front in Lesotho where his team won the Cosafa Youth Cup, beating Kenya 2-0 in the final. Kenya was playing as an invited guest to strengthen the competition. Magqwaka scored one of the goals in the event which took place in December.
Subsequent to his exploits in Maseru, a week later his team Ajax Cape Town offered him a contract which promoted him from the team's under-19 squad to the senior team. He was signed with his national teammate, Rivaldo Coetzee, with whom he won various youth titles playing with the Ajax Cape Town Youth Academy.
Magqwaka has had a well paved out route in his development as a footballer, after joining the Ajax Academy at the age of 11. His accolades include the Engen Knockout Challenge title (three times), the Metropolitan Premier Cup title (three times) and the prestigious 2013 Copa Amsterdam.
Morever, he has had a brilliant under-17 career as well, despite limited game time that team enjoyed in his time in that age category. What is even significant, in my book, is that in December 2012 Ayabulela and the U17 team travelled to Ghana for an Africa Junior Championship qualifier at Essipong Stadium in Sekondi.
Ghana is important because it represents all that is good about soccer development in Africa. Ghana is always up there as far as global youth tournaments are concerned, and we saw how its young, inexperienced side carried itself in the recent Chan tournament in SA. It is ironic that they were stopped by Libya, another nation which showed faith in its youth to rebuild its fortunes.
Isn't strange that up to this stage, SA has not sought to forge a working relationship with Ghana, in order to learn from that country how to set up and manage successful development structures? Such a deal should include a technical exchange of personalities in youth coaching and training fields, so that when South Africans learn in Ghana, while the Ghanaians will come here to point out the good and the bad about our work in soccer development.
Needless to say, SA lost the opportunity to walk the same path, opting to send an overly matured squad into the tournament when a team with a fresh victory was available. Sending the under-20 team which won the Cosafa tournament would have done the national team a world of good. Had those youngsters failed to progress beyond round one, then we would have known that at least the future holds so much in promise.
Ayabulela and his teammates should not have watched Chan from afar when their peers from all over the continent were enjoying the run on the park, right here in our backyard. Even more worrisome is that the coach of the senior team, Gordon Igesund, does not seem to be having any working relationship with the Under20 coach, Ephraim Mashaba. Mashaba is an accomplished coach with plenty of experience, and therefore a very important conduit between the senior team and development ranks.
The good thing about the U17 squad which went to Ghana is that it was coached by Mashaba, who is now taking care of the same boys at under-20 level.
Now given this clear path of progress, why Igesund did not work with Mashaba and some of his boys in the Chan? I know it is too late for this question but it needs to be asked in order to fix things going forward.
Whether Igesund stays or goes, the coach of Bafana Bafana must work with Mashaba or whoever is the coach of the under-20 side. Otherwise how do we know about upcoming talent when the national youth coach is not part of the set-up at senior level?
I will conclude by paying tribute to Ayabulela Magqwaka and his U20 teammates once again. I want to say in a normal environment their progress would be lauded and guarded by their national federation. Unfortunately, in South Africa such basics in football development are not taken into consideration in a neverending pursuit of shortcuts and reason to party.
For the record Siyanda Ngubo of Malaga FC scored the second goal in the 2-0 victory against Kenya in Lesotho.
Here is the rest of the team which featured in the final match of 2013 Cosafa Youth Cup: Dumisani Msibi (gk, Supersport United), Madisha Motjeka (Mamelodi Sundowns), Ayabulela Magqwaka, Rivaldo Coetzee (both Ajax CT), Pule Maraisane (Stars of Africa), Siyanda Ngubo (Malaga), Nhlakanipho Ntuli (Orlando Pirates), Fagrie Lakay (Santos), Tlotlo Leepile (Stars of Africa), Tebogo Moerane (Orlando Pirates), Siphelele Luthuli (University of Pretoria).
