Outspoken and retired Bafana Bafana dribbling wizard Doctor Khumalo has been vindicated for declaring that the World Cup, currently under way in Qatar, was going to be spectacular.
This after sentiments were shared that there was no spark or excitement in the build-up to the month-long tournament.
Qatar has been criticised for lacking “that thing”, and the Islamic state’s restrictions on alcohol consumption and its strict stance against the LGBTQ community added to negative comments and contributed to the lack of razzmatazz that is usually associated with World Cups.
Lo and behold, the players have come to the party and have fans massive entertainment and a humdinger of a tournament thus far. Already, Qatar 2022 is reported to be one of the best ever in terms of goals scored, match attendance, upsets and TV viewing.
“People were saying that there is no spark or excitement regarding this World Cup. I always maintained that it depends on how you look at it,” said Khumalo, who is one of the best players to have donned the Kaizer Chiefs jersey.
“Yes, off the field, people may say that. The host country’s rules are strict and that can kill the excitement. Maybe Fifa should not have taken the tournament there – maybe they should have taken responsibility just like they did when South Africa were hosting in 2010.
“People in the world did not like the idea of South Africa hosting, but Fifa made sure that it was a success.”
Khumalo, who played 50 matches for Bafana and was their leading goal-scorer at some point, explained further: “In terms of football, some of us are deep in this game and it is still the number-one event. This is where we learn new trends and new things. We look at the bigger picture with a different view. We will see how coaches prepare their teams and how they bring the surprise element.
“When you watch the World Cup, you observe how they warm-up before matches, how the coaches talk to players, and other important things that contribute to the game. If a team has a slow start, then you can refer back to their warm-up [session] to understand why the slow start.
“For some of us, it is always a massive learning curve, it is not just about watching the stars scoring goals, we use this tournament to learn and grow, we empower ourselves while we are enjoying the crème-de-la-crème of football.
“Most of us are not interested in what happens off the pitch, because there is no way that will affect the high standard of World Cups. So, we have seen the squads and the individual players, you can rest assured that on the field, it’s going to be fantastic.”
Khumalo, affectionately known as 16 Valve, recently criticised Chiefs players for lacking the intuition to lift the team when the chips are down, and was scathing when Amakhosi were knocked out of the MTN8 tournament by AmaZulu in the semi-finals in November.
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