In his playing days, Jabu “Shuffle” Mahlangu was as unpredictable as a Joburg taxi driver on a buzzing main road. You never knew what his next move was going to be. Whether he was going to dish out a shibobo to Lovers Mohlala or blast three goals past Jomo Cosmos, or whether he would grant himself paid leave without his bosses knowing his whereabouts.
That was vintage Mahlangu for you – but nonetheless a damn good player and a match-winner when he was keen to play football. Sadly, he spent most of his career changing clubs and battling his demons, and that’s why fans attacked him this week, instead of analysing his opinion constructively.
This week, the Daveyton-born wonderkid was once again in the news. He led a movement and started a fierce debate.
His utterances about Mamelodi Sundowns dominating the PSL split the SA football fraternity. Mahlangu, not known for unleashing pearls of wisdom, posted on social media that there had to be financial fair play in the PSL because the Brazilians were signing all the players and killing Bafana Bafana in the process.
People have been whispering about this topic in the trains, in taverns, shisanyamas and even in office corridors. They were not as brazen as Mahlangu to say it out loud in public – and whether Mahlangu is right or wrong, is a topic for another day.
Sundowns’ dominance is there for everybody to see – it is palpable. They have won the past five league titles, and have now won 13 matches in a row, strolling to another league title. In terms of points acquired, second-placed Richards Bay are closer to the rock bottom side on points than they are to log leaders Sundowns – such is the gap.
Maybe the question should be “what are the other clubs doing”, except for being led like lambs to the slaughter and hoping for financial fair play in silence.
Financial fair play is one part of the solution. The other part is about what happens on the pitch – the signing of terrific players, bringing excellent coaches and to excavate outstanding players from scouting and academies – clubs just have to find creative ways of stepping up.
Major entities like Chiefs and Orlando Pirates must also be robust and aggressive when they negotiate sponsorships. The headline sponsorships deal they signed with cellphone giants many years ago is peanuts for clubs of their magnitude. It’s about time they upped the ante and strove for billions of rand.
In 2015, Irvin Khoza blamed the artificial economy for such a big gap and disparity: “The reality is that we don’t have club owners who have deep pockets. Unfortunately, the way the market has turned out is an artificial economy, which is not sustainable.”
“Sadly, these club chairmen who have sacrificed so much to protect this industry for so long are not enjoying the fruits of their labour. Destructive forces have been developed by this artificial economy. I can’t afford it myself. Some players earn more than me. If other clubs can do that, good luck, we can’t compete. We can’t blame them.
“We hope that those people are going to be here in the next 20 years. It won’t be right if they come and leave the market in a mess like that. That’s why in Europe, they always talk about financial fair play. That’s why I have respect for people like Jomo Sono, Mike Mokoena and Veli Mahlangu. They’ve taken income from their families for football. It’s not about your
riches; it’s about what you do for the country. Everybody can buy a Mercedez-Benz, but not everyone can buy wisdom,” Khoza told me at the time.
If we are still crying over the “artificial economy”, then there is no hope of catching up with Sundowns. The Brazilians will dominate until King Mswati III relinquishes his crown.
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