Brian Baloyi of Kaizer Chiefs Legends during 2024 Toyota Cup Curtain Raiser match between Kaizer Chiefs Legends and Bloemfontein Celtic Legends on 28 July 2024 at TOYOTA Stadium in Bloemfontein
Sydney Mahlangu, Backpages
Legendary South African goalkeeper Brian Baloyi has issued a stark warning about the country’s alarming goalkeeping crisis, calling for urgent action from both SAFA and football clubs.
The former Bafana Bafana and Kaizer Chiefs shot-stopper believes the lack of young, locally developed goalkeepers in the PSL and the Motsepe Foundation Championship is a national emergency that demands immediate intervention.
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With an overwhelming reliance on foreign goalkeepers across Mzansi’s top leagues, Baloyi fears that the next generation of shot-stoppers is being sidelined, leaving the national team in a precarious position.
Unless drastic measures are taken – similar to Egypt’s ban on foreign goalkeepers – Baloyi warns that South African football could face long-term repercussions.
Talking to Soccer Laduma, his message is clear: leadership at all levels must step up before it’s too late.
“Yeah, we have a goalkeeping crisis, and we need to treat it as such as a country. My call is not only to SAFA but to the football clubs as well. SAFA can only do so much, and the onus is on the clubs really to play their part. So, where we’re sitting now, with the problem that we have with goalkeeping is that 60% of the clubs in the PSL are playing with foreign goalkeepers. Understandably so, everyone wants a polished product, and they want experience. And then you go to the First Division, almost 80% of the clubs in the league are playing with foreign goalkeepers. So, if you look in the last 10 years, almost every second club that comes up from the First Division is coming with a foreign goalkeeper. So, our young goalkeepers are playing only in the DDC (DStv Diski Challenge). The national coach, Mr. Broos, spoke about it last recently. Our number two and our number three in the national team, they’re 29 years old or so. So, you look at Chiefs and Pirates, they’re number one, and number twos are like 28, 29. No youngsters,” Baloyi told the Siya crew.
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“And then you go to SuperSport, number one, number two, 29, 30 years old. Then you go to TS Galaxy, you go to Chippa, they’re all playing with foreign goalkeepers. So, where are the youngsters playing? Playing in the DDC? You look at our junior national team goalkeepers, none of them is playing in the PSL. None of them is playing in the First Division. So, I’m saying, at some point as a country, you have to get to a point where you’re not going to ask about leadership. We need leadership from our national association. We need leadership from the PSL. And leadership in what sense? Egypt, at some point realised that they have a problem with goalkeepers. And they’ve been, till today, in Egypt, you can’t play with a foreign goalkeeper. You make some people happy; some people are not happy. But when you make such a decision, who is benefiting from that? It’s the country. So, the country is more important than anybody. We need to make such bold decisions as a country. The clubs will never be happy, but this is a decision that has to be made between the national association, government, and the PSL,” he added.
“We’ve had this problem with strikers for many years. We never addressed it, till today. And now the problem is with the goalkeepers, and we’re not addressing it. We have to address it as a national crisis, an emergency, and come up with some solutions. So, for now, and for the next three, four years, we just have to pray that Ronwen (Williams) doesn’t get injured, and that Ronwen doesn’t get suspended, and that we have him playing for the next few years,” Baloyi concluded.
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By Masebe Qina
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