Good Intentions... Bad Decisions

Left or right? Avenue or street? You are one decision away from the rest of your life. That’s a proven theory. Hit the nail on the head and you are set on a path of open doors and boundless opportunities, but if you miss your mark, you might find yourself sucked up in a vortex of unfortunate circumstances for the majority of your life. Never underestimate the weight of a single decision.

Football is a subsidiary of life, scratch that. Football is life. In fact, some might even echo the words of former Liverpool manager Bill Shankly when he took this statement a step further and said “some people think football is a matter of life and death, I don’t like that attitude. I can assure them it is much more serious than that”. Now think about it; if the sport can carry a perceived value that is of greater importance than one’s own eulogy, surely the decisions players have to make in their time are at many points beyond their understanding. It’s not as simple as deciding which club to sign for next, which boots to wear or where to place the next spot kick. It can’t be that facile.

In our country, players shoulder an even greater burden. One slanty move and fans vilify them well beyond their days on the pitch. Playing professional football is a dream harboured by almost everyone in the stands and for that reason, supporters aren’t willing to forgive the mistakes of the select few who make it. If life was kind enough to afford you a chance on a football field, then why not show a degree of pragmatism and repay the debt? This is notably easier said than done. But it does raise a few questions surrounding the careers of a few key players in our history. What if Junior Khanye wasn’t cognisant of this notion the evening he decided to go clubbing? Perhaps the difference between him being a Kaizer Chiefs legend and just another average Joe that strolled through the corridors of the Village in Naturena, lied in him opting for a softer beverage. Don’t get me wrong, I do understand that there was a series of events that led to the fateful moment when he fell down the stairs at the club’s training ground in his drunken state, but that was simply the straw that broke the camel’s back and not the entirety of the camel’s load.

The most baffling part about the decisions he made was that he had plenty of negative cases to deter him from taking the same course of action. He knew Sipho “The Sensational” Nunens prioritized his off the field antics over football and the adversity Mbulelo Mabizela faced when he discarded a once in a lifetime opportunity in the EPL. Had he managed to flip the page, he would have discovered a more fruitful path free of the wrong turns his townsman Jabu “Ngwana wa Tshwenya” Mahlangu took in a career laced with fame and fortune. They practically shared the same route. Come to think of it, the adage “It takes a village to raise a child” seems to apply directly to Daveyton - Thabiso “Skapie” Malatsi and Michael Nkambule would go on to not only play for the same team but walk the exact pathway of self-destruction too. A clear revelation as to why the township has been red-flagged by scouts.

A case of jamais vu was experienced by fans when Arthur Zwane and Thandani Ntshumayelo were summoned to the PSL disciplinary for the solitary choice they made. Although the offence was similar in nature [use of banned substances], the gravity differed immensely. The former was supposedly oblivious of the harm an energy drink would cause when he consumed it. And the latter… let’s just say he could smell the amount of trouble that was about to ensue in his life. Testing positive for a recreational drug as a professional sportsman is an indication of a reckless thought process. A vicious cycle.

It’s even worse when you get a chance to play at the highest level - The FIFA Soccer World Cup. Being at such a revered platform feels like a false awakening even for the most illustrious of footballers. Now what about a local footballer?! An appraisal of stats will indicate that since the 3rd of July 1992[SA readmission], we have only qualified for the tournament thrice [3rd time as hosts] out of seven occasions. Being there is quite a significant achievement. One would assume this was reason enough to discourage William “Naughty” Mokoena and his ‘crew’ from going out to get a few of the 750 000 litres of hard beverages sold during the tournament. Surprisingly it wasn’t and he lived up to his name. To date he remains the only South African player to be sent packing during the spectacle. One reckless decision and you’re known to 3.2 billion spectators as a WC dropout.

Evidently, the choices footballers make do not only affect their lives directly but percolate through to the entire football community. A domino effect. One suspension causes a muddle in the starting line-up right through to the fan’s betting slip. With their lives touching more people than their deaths ever will, they must constantly remain aware of the ramifications of their actions - Do you now understand Mr Masibusane Zongo? Good intentions are meaningless if they don’t yield good deeds and give rise to favourable paths to follow for future generations.

Image credit: Kickoff