IS FOREIGN INFLUX GOOD FOR OUR FOOTBALL?

Sir,

Like many other footballing nations, this tiny Kingdom of Eswatini has an influx of foreign players who come from different countries on the African continent. It does not need one to be a soccer analyst to deduce that foreign players have taken local football by storm, as our local teams intensely fight for honours in domestic and continental competitions.

Before I am labelled a ‘racist’, let me hasten to state from the onset that I am an ardent football fanatic, a born-and-bred Swazi who always thrives on seeing progress in the local game. Hence, the spirit I have will never be dampened by some hooligan football followers who verbally threaten me each time I raise a pertinent issue about the ills affecting the standard of football in the country.

Investing

That said, today’s issue is the influx of foreign players, to the extent that some teams have seemingly adopted the philosophy of investing in or buying players abroad without putting the performance of the foreign players to the test. Allow me, dear reader, to unpack some of the challenges and impacts this has on the development of our football. Of significant note is that some of the foreign players are not good enough to make the cut in the elite league; however, carrying their big name status, they find themselves on the field of play.

Eager

This happens at the expense of young local talent who are eager to prove their worth and, obviously, bring the standard of our football to greater heights even at national team level. Admittedly, foreign players can play a pivotal role in improving the standard of the game as they bring more competition to a team’s starting eleven but in the same vein they can be detrimental because their dominance benefits only the domestic teams and not national squads.

A glaring example in this case would be the English Premiership, one of the richest and most competitive football leagues on the planet, which is dominated by vastly talented foreign players, thus improving the standard while, paradoxically, their national soccer team is struggling to compete effectively in prestigious international competitions.

Now, as Swazis, we have to be introspective and ascertain if the foreign players are really good enough for our football. And, of course, the most pertinent question would be; are the foreign players we recruit really making the grade to compete in a league of our calibre? Do they add value to the standard of the local game? The most pathetic part in recent years was seeing players like South Africa’s former Orlando Pirates midfielder, Steve ‘ Chippa’ Lekolea, signing for a local team but, after a short stint, he left without making any meaningful progress although earning a huge monthly salary that would be equivalent to the salaries of five committed local players.

That was the reason we were not even surprised when Benedict ‘Tso’ Vilakazi also came to our shores and left after some time. To be frank, there are many other foreign players whose capabilities leave a lot to be desired but are given game time at the expense of local talent.

Benefit

Even the foreign quota does not help as some teams fail to vet the background of their imports, hence giving us ‘raw material’. We must learn to invest in locals, something that would definitely benefit the national squads in the long run.
As much as we need the foreign players to spice up the competition, it is imperative that we scrutinise them to ensure they prove their worth on the field of play. Not every Tom, Dick and Harry should have access to play in our esteemed elite league, hence let’s restore the integrity of our football by applying stringent procedures. In the past we had great foreign players who not only left a mark by bringing razzmatazz to our football but went on to improve the game with their football-ing prowess.

Comfort Jele,
Hawane

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