Former Cape Town City Diski Challenge coach Moritz Kossmann, who is now part of the technical team at Austrian club SV Ried, believes South Africa has a great generation of talent coming through, but they need to be exposed internationally.
Kossmann was speaking to Rob Delport in the latest edition (160) of iDiski Times about his move to Europe but having worked at both Ubuntu and City, predominantly with young players, he says there is an exciting generation coming through.
But he believes that if they are to reach their full potential, they must be exposed to a higher level of football early on in their career and follow in the footsteps of players like Benni McCarthy and Steven Pienaar.
“What needs to go with it is an ambition to want to go to Europe, because you can earn fantastic money at the highest part of the PSL as well,” Kossmann said to iDiski Times.
“But if we are going to move forward in the global picture, I think we need the next Steven Pienaar, the next Benni McCarthy, the next Shoes Moshoeu, the next Steve Komphela or Sibusiso Zuma in Europe.
“Because for every single one of those guys that does something good at a good level there, the next one becomes so much easier.
“As an example, I lived in Denmark, between 2000 and 2004 and Sibusiso Zuma scored the goal of the decade, and I think FC Copenhagen fans voted it the goal of the history of the club or something, in a win that won them the League against Brondby. And he was for a while the best player in that league.
“And I think if you look after that, that then automatically opened the doors for other players, [Siyabonga] Nomvethe went there, [Lebo] Phiri went there, even in a period where we were like very scarce, Elrio Van Heerden too. So it paves the way.
“And I think for every single one that does it, the way gets easier for the next one, and the next one and the next one. And we need our players to compete at the highest level that is possible. And taking the emotion out of it, the highest level possible is the big five leagues in Europe and being exposed to European competition.”
