JOHANNESBURG -- The great trek south of the Limpopo by Zimbabwean players could soon be a thing of the past should South African soccer authorities heed recommendations by recently appointed Bafana Bafana coach, Pitso Mosimane. Presenting his four-year vision at the South African Football Association house in Johannesburg last Thursday, Mosimane proposed that clubs in the elite ABSA Premier League sign a maximum three foreign nationals, a radical proposition in a league where clubs presently can sign any number of foreign players although allowed to register a maximum of six.
Among other radical recommendations in his so-called Vision 2014, which aims to qualify Bafana Bafana for the World Cup in Brazil, Mosimane called for the revival of the revival of the Reserve League as a reservoir to nurture talent.
The coach proposed that it be made a requirement that all South African matches should at include at least two Under-23 players in the starting line up.
He also proposed close monitoring of local and international, players and the development of the National, Provincial and Regional Under 20 Leagues, among others.
Mosimanes ambitious proposals come hot on the heels of similar views by his predecessor, Carlos Alberto Parreira, who blamed the high number of foreigners in the South African PSL for the decline in Bafanas standards over the years.
I will consult extensively, but spearhead Vision 2014 from a technical point of view. I will rely on the leadership of SAFA to support me administratively, and I will also count on the support of all South Africans as we embark on this project of national and international importance, Mosimane said.
If SAFA approves the proposal, the move would be a major blow to aspiring Zimbabwean footballers who have flooded the South African league because it pays better and is also a good launch pad to a career in the bigger European leagues.
Zimbabwe has from the Ebson Muguyo-era in the 1970s, contributed the highest number of foreign players in the league.
Most South African coaches, former players and soccer analysts are convinced that the high number of foreigners is scuttling the progress of the national team as it limits the prospects of South African nationals getting a run in local teams.
Post published in: Football