Mamelodi Sundowns senior coach Steve Komphela has highly praised the DStv Diski Challenge and admitted that South Africa might have learnt from international football where young stars like Lamine Yamal are writing the headlines.
The country is in the phase where there’s a lot of talent under the age of 20 or older and we have witnessed South Africa’s U20 qualifying for AFCON U20. Currently, Kaizer Chiefs midfielder Mduduzi Shabalala is amongst Betway Premiership’s top goalscorers with three goals along with Evidence Makgopa and Sundowns strike duo Iqraam Rayners and Lucas Ribeiro.
A month ago, Relebohile Mofoking decided the MTN8 final coming from the bench and it was not the first time having done it in the Nedbank Cup last season.
Cape Town City striker Jody Ah Shene was the top goalscorer in the U20 COSAFA Cup, and there has been plenty of young talent in the country who are making names for themselves.
Komphela was asked about the talent in the country and he shared reasons for the new trend of playing youngsters as it is something that is happening worldwide.
“Having confidence in the players maybe we are informed by the game as well,” the former Chiefs coach said.
“Because the game has gone a bit faster and the younger the faster you are, the game has gone very technical, and they’ve got a great level of technical ability.
“There’s a selling point, there has to be a buying-in if your buying points don’t have a very strong point of reference the buy-in is slow and reluctant.
“If you then say a loving person in South Africa look at [Lamine] Yamal, look at this one and that one they play 16, 17 [years old] you are then buying them the opportunity to be patient with the 17-year-old in South Africa.
“But previously you never had that opportunity, so maybe the international point of reference has given us an acceptance to say it’s not about age.
“Gavin Hunt once said that if you are good enough it doesn’t matter about your age, he doesn’t care how young you are if you are good enough you get put in there you play.
“I think the game has gone to a level where people have bought into the understanding that it’s not about age if he is capable let him play and it has become an international trend.
“There’s no way we can be in denial even though sometimes it takes us a bit of time to accept where the game going in terms of players. It is easy they give you a confirmation as well because of these youngsters the likes of [Siyabonga] Mabena, Kutlwano [Letlhaku], Rele [Mofokeng] and all these folks you can see that these youngsters and also go back and thank the development of football in terms of DDC in South Africa because it helps.
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“They get exposed to the structures of operating in a team environment a professional environment early enough and then when they get into senior environments, they are not far behind even yesterday the scorer in Polokwane where is he coming from? It’s just that.”
