Come on Bafana: Yes We Can!

I wasn't going to go there, but it's a matter of patriotism you understand.

There is so much hype and PR whenever SAFA signs a foreign coach... and we've had quite a few. Still, I believe our best performances in international football were under South Africans like Clive Barker and Jomo Sono.

It pains me when I hear Mr Perreira tell South Africans that we shouldn't have expected anything more from the team after their departure from AFCON 2008 in the group stage. His excuse is that he is focussing on preparing the team for 2010, so we shouldn't read anything into Bafana Bafana's early exit.

According to Perreira and SAFA, his mandate is to develop a team that will reach the second round of the 2010 World Cup. Given that as the host country we have automotic entry to the 2010 World Cup Finals, shouldn't we be more ambitious? Call me demanding if you like, but that's not the mindset a country cultivates when we aspire to create champions. With players having come and gone on to focus on their club football, coaches having come and gone on to boost the rankings of other teams around the world, one would have expected SAFA's administrators to take a fresh look at its approach of investing in coaches instead of players. Yet the administrators remain. They continue to fail our many talented players, with their lack of inspiration and failure to invest in building a cohesive, quality national side. Perhaps it's time for the administrators to go on to peddle their poor management strategies in the corporate world...

As an SA Patriot, my hope is that our team, coach and SAFA will strive for distinction that achieves far more than a mere pass into the second round in 2010.