There is a mantra that says “adapt or die“. It cuts across all spheres of life, but in this article I just want to focus on how that impacts scouting. Gone are the days of conducting trials where thousands will flock in to be assessed many end up not been properly assessed and such end up getting lost and later re emerge. Later on we hear stories about so and so was once turned down by Sundowns, Chiefs and Pirates. Stories of how some got turned down because of their physique, so the method of scouting using trials was not a fair reflection, thus ending up losing top quality players. Another flaw with the method used is that at times it is not the most gifted that get in. It could be those close to those conducting the very same trials. Numerous stories of bribery would occur exposing how the not so gifted would be prioritised simply because they have resources. A pure recipe for disaster. Bear with me as I try to put the microscope on the evolution of the scouting process:
School leagues
There was a time schools produced great talent for PSL clubs. The primary reason schools were a fertile grounds for talent identification was because there was a particular programme called the Chappies League that ensured this to be a seamless process. School grounds were packed to raptures on a normal midweek afternoon as every boy’s dream was to make it into the team. I, however, suspect the predominant reason was the fact that girls would cheer on the 1st team players. It was a beautiful scene to behold. Top of my head, I can think of one Benedict Vilakazi that came through that system.
Clubs affiliating with academies and schools
It was fun while it lasted. Someone would ask that we now have Kay Motsepe schools tournament? Yeah we do, but now clubs adopted academies and schools so by the time a scout will identify a certain player during the Kay Motsepe Cup, it might be that the particular player
already belongs to Sundowns as they have a relationship with Clapham
High School as their extension for the youth academy. The same
can be said with Rosina Sedibane High School as they are affiliated with Supersport United, so those are some of the restrictions that could hinder a scout of another team. What then follows in this cycle is that the more resourced teams are getting the best upcoming talent as they widen their scouting net to cover the entire country and the less resourced clubs are
left to feed on what’s leftover. In a twist of events, we’ve noticed how “leftovers” tend to be rough diamonds, especially when scouting into areas that are not paid much attention to by our big clubs. Mostly, such
areas are rural places and this is where I believe clubs with a begging bowl are able to compete. For example a place like Winterveldt is brimming with immense talent and you hardly see scouts coming to check it out. Sadly such talent ends up getting lost to substance abuse. It’s an issue of time and
chance as Solomon puts it well in the book of Ecclesiastes but such is life and it is not fair .
It has become a dog-eat-dog setup in this field. A budget could be limiting and with the cream of the crop already snatched up by the time they show potential, only scouts who pay careful attention to details know how to maximise their return on investment. Here’s a list of a few gentlemen who have mastered the art of scouting:
Jomo Sono
“The black prince of football” is one top scouts he kept bringing gems from Africa. The likes of Tico-Tico ,Mwariwari ,Kanyenda and also locally the likes of Morgan Gould. Aspiring scouts can learn a lot from him. Recently he scouted Aboubacar Sangare whom I saw tormenting the Sundowns midfield in a CAF champions league game. He was playing for As Togo Port from Togo, so Jomo still has it in him. Sangare won’t stay for long at Jomo Cosmos. PSL teams are gonna fight over his signature. He is a quality player. In fact even European teams might come knocking.
Themba Sithole
He is one of the top scouts in the country. How he keeps
unearthing gems for Free State is a mystery. He has a keen eye
for talent. what stands out for me about him is that he
goes to places that not many psl scouts go to. Free state
stars has a great asset in him and they should build a vast
scouting network around him as that will save them a lot of
transfer money. They get rough diamonds and polish
them so as to sell them at a higher price and that can help
most smaller clubs and bring more revenue .
Floyd Mogale
He has unearthed so many gems from his days at the now defunct Bidvest Wits to Mamelodi Sundowns. I remember how he would go to Makhulong Stadium around 2015/6 to go watch Peter Shalulile as Sundowns earmarked him to come replace Billiat as they realised he might get an
overseas deal.
ERNST Middendorp
Very keen eye for talent. If I was a club owner I would enlist him as one of the scouts and not as a coach. He brought Lebo Maboe from Mbombela United and as we know Lebo is doing well. There are many stories of his good scouting that we can talk about like the ones whilst he was still
at Celtic. He also has a vast network. The story of how Nurkovic landed at chiefs is proof of how exceptional he is. He loves going to the stadiums to observe the talent.
KZN soccer academy
They are a beckon of hope. Currently what they are doing with local talent is commendable. They also have great facilities and their scouting network looks good. There is a conveyor belt of talent. Currently one of their products, Velemiseni Ndwandwe is doing great for Golden Arrows
and internationally they have exported players like Sphe Sithole and Thabo Cele. We need more academies like this one in our country. As a lover of this beautiful game, it is my lifelong dream to have such in every province.
Farouk Khan
PSL teams are sleeping on this great man. He has done so
much with the limited resources he has at his academy. Much with the limited resources he has at his academy,Stars of Africa, lots of players graced that academy. From your Tokello Rantie, Luther Singh to name a few.
That’s it for this 1st portion of the piece. On the next segment I will have a look at more academies around the country and what the future of scouting holds for the country.
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