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Dear Mr Stuart William Baxter
Given the situation you and your Bafana Bafana troops find yourselves in before the March 24 Afcon qualifier against Libya in Tunisia, I thought it appropriate to share the following anecdotes with you.
You may be aware of a character called Hernán Cortés, full name Hernán Cortés de Monroy y Pizarro Altamirano, Marquis of the Valley of Oaxaca.
His claim to fame was that, in 1517, he led an expedition that caused the fall of the Aztec empire in what is today known as mainland Mexico.
The strategy he used to claim this faraway land for Spain was setting alight his army’s ships shortly after landing, and telling his men that they had no alternative but to conquer the new country. Otherwise they would all perish, as there was no way out or back home.
His master plan was almost similar to the one adopted by King Shaka kaSenzangakhona, also known as Shaka Zulu, who lived between 1787 and 1828.
You might have heard of him. It is said that every time he sent his army out on an assignment, Shaka would tell them to not come back if they failed to conquer.
Well, not returning would mean that they would never ever see their families again. This was one of the reasons his armies usually triumphed against all odds.
Having never worked with or under you, Sir, I am not aware of your strategies and the methods you use to kindle fire in your Bafana Bafana troops’ bellies.
However, if the pictures we saw of them – enjoying the crystal-clear waters of the Seychelles beaches while on a mission to qualify for next year’s continental shindig – are anything to go by, you might not be a very tough taskmaster.
Then there is the fact that they played to a goalless draw against the part-timers of Seychelles, becoming the first team in Group E to drop points to the tiny island.
It is because of this that, going to Sunday’s crucial match, we are back to where we have found ourselves umpteen times in the past, where we have to calculate what our national senior men’s football team must do.
As things stand, Nigeria are perched at the top of the group with 10 points, with Bafana second, having collected nine, while Libya are two points behind and the Seychelles boast that solitary point they took from an impotent Bafana.
If we were living in those ancient times we would be telling you and Bafana Bafana never to come back here if you fail to collect all three points against Libya, or even the single point that is needed to qualify.
The South African nation has suffered too many palpitations whenever Bafana Bafana play because of their inconsistent performances.
Some have disowned the team and no longer even bother to watch when they play, and they don’t care whether they win or lose.
This is a tragedy!
People do not choose to be South Africans, but become so because of the geographic area they are born in.
So there is no way we can disown our national team. When the world speaks of South Africa, it means all 55 million-plus of its inhabitants.
Of late, one has also noticed a trend of trust issues developing between you and the nation (more especially its football followers).
No sooner had you told a group of selected media that you would “tell Safa to fire me” if Bafana fails to reach the continental tournament in Egypt in June, than you appeared alongside Safa Makhulubaas Danny Jordaan, who said you told him that you never said such.
It was again another dose of being misquoted or quoted out of context.
I believe the initial version, not only because colleague Daniel Mothowagae was among that “selected media” who had the conversation with you over breakfast at Safa House on that Thursday, but also because many others came out with sound clips backing their reporting.
Now, after a long sermon on Monday about why you had not picked Cape Town City striker Kermit Erasmus, who is currently going through a purple patch, Benni McCarthy has come out to deny many of the utterances you attributed to him.
These issues raise two key questions. Do you take the South African nation seriously? Can the nation take you seriously?
The message is clear: Go out there and win!
As an aside, given the shenanigans your players got up to in Seychelles, please ensure that none of them get anywhere near the beaches of Djerba or Mahdia, which are close to Sfax where the match is being played.
I remain yours in football, a bona fide South African who is not only passionate about the game of the pigskin but also equally madly in love with his country.
Follow me on Twitter @Sbu_Mseleku
