From world stage to Madibaz Stadium

Madibaz player Alexander Owusu prepares to pass the ball during Monday's clash with NWU at the Madibaz Stadium where the home team held the visitors to a 2-2 draw. Photo: Michael Sheehan/Saspa

I’ve been spoilt. A full month of world-class football in my lounge each evening, compliments of the Fifa Football World Cup, means my soccer benchmark barometer has been raised. Yours too?

When a long distance shot comes into the box area I now automatically anticipate a shot on target or at the very least a clean clearance. I don’t expect players to miss the ball completely or fail to control a ball or misjudge a tackle or erroneously forget about use the off-side rule or, or, or …

That’s as it went in parts during the first Varsity Sport Football match at Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU) yesterday afternoon when our Madibaz took on North West University before a vuvuzela-blowing crowd.

Yes, I have been spoilt.

In fact, I have been so spoilt that I almost failed to recognise that the Football World Cup is the benchmark to which these young university players must aspire.

Everyone has to start somewhere and having finger-pointing mother grundies like me on the sidelines is no help at all. These players, like any other sportsmen and women who are still working towards being at the top of their game, need encouragement.

The Varsity Sport concept provides a perfect platform for such encouragement.

Varsity Sport, like its successful sister brand Varsity Cup (for rugby), gives university students an opportunity to show off their talent on national television and before national sport selectors. It gives them all sorts of reason to literally “improve their game”.

Varsity Cup has already spawned a large number of Super Rugby players for South Africa, and I am pretty sure that other talented sportsmen and women will surface from its athletics, women’s hockey, men’s hockey, netball and volleyball competitions.

So this mother grundy, without lowering her soccer benchmark barometer, will be back at the next game home (against UCT on 4 August at 7pm) to shout for (and not at) the Madibaz.



And so as a show of my good intent, my congratulations go to Madibaz for their opening game. The final score was two all, with NMMU’s Kieran Koert scoring two quick goals to be named the match’s Samsung Super Striker and Madibaz captain Kurt Duff as the FNB Man of the Match.