DON’T SES OUR BOYS: Cape Town Spurs ban Sundowns scouts from Ikamva
Cape Town Spurs is trending again for yet another written statement, this time after six youth players were poached by Mamelodi Sundowns.
Zeke Felix, Anothando Menemene, Junaid Seedat, Selwyn Junior, Xavier Jodamus and Liam Marthinus have all left Ikamva and packed their bags for Chloorkop.
This has resulted in the banning of Mamelodi Sundowns and scouts from their premises.
Welcome to the club, Sundowns!
The Brazilians have long recruited some of Ikamva’s cream of the crop over the years.
But there’d usually be money that exchanges hands, which is what Spurs want for the work they’ve put in the players through their development structures. Pretty straightforward.
As a result, signing that first pro contract at Ikamva used to be something major; it wasn’t anything lucrative but that moment always meant that you’re a good player and belong in a group of the chosen to go the journey some of the best have gone.
Players grow up knowing that they may not play beyond the age of 24 to 26 at Ikamva, it’s in the club’s football business to sell the best players and performers while they can get the maximum amount before they peak.
The club enjoyed a comfortable relationship with one of its founders and agent Rob Moore, who could cherry-pick the best of them.
That relationship would eventually go sour because Moore exploited a loophole, where when the club refused to sell his players, he would pull them out of the club and risk going clubless for a period until they can find a new club.
That was mostly the situation under the old regime which was led by the Comitis family.
It obviously spilled over to the new regime of the Efstathiou family.
Ayabulela Konqobe, Haashim Domingo, Oswin Appollis and Yanga Baliso, and how they left Ikamva are perfect examples.
Even with the change of key agency partners which is currently Siyavuma, there are still issues.
Lately, players push to leave even earlier before the pro contract because they don’t want to be forced to sign with the club’s agency and rather have their own representatives.
What I’ve noticed is that sometimes it can be a father, uncle who may choose to want to have the local coach close to the family, or even a pastor.
Some of these kids want to create their own situations with their friends, but obviously they all aren’t going to be registered agents.
And why should you even need an agent for a deal that has been straightforward for generations?
This is where there is a problem, because the player is in a vulnerable place.
You saw it in the spectacular way Luphumlo Sifumba was announced by Roc Nation and the Beast Mtawarira.
While that was a wholesome moment and a really nice touch by the Roc, it’s easily exploited.
Some of these kids can be won over with the simple promise of an endless supply of boots. It’s the nature of the beast.
Spurs have continuously lost a grip on a few of the club’s bright players which resulted, at times, in inactivity for the player.
All because the club doesn’t want to allow a non-registered agent to deal with them, while they have their suggested agency in that room. At times they sit there only with the mom and the player.
Why should there be representation for anybody for basically what would be a “prestigious football learnership?”
Some players decide to not sign the contract and they leave the club, which has caused Spurs to respond and organise a workshop between the club, agencies and parents on January 15.
Spurs wanted to deal with only the registered representatives at that workshop. The problem, however, is that even those agencies exploit the illiteracy and vulnerability of players and their families.
I was recently interviewed by a German newspaper about the hope that football and the African Cup of Nations brings and I explained there that because of some of the extreme levels of poverty on the continent, football is seen as one of the fastest ways out to change your circumstances and for those around you.
So why wouldn’t a lion eat the sheep when it’s hungry?
Football is in direct competition with crime in most of the areas the players that join Spurs.
Unfortunately, Spurs realised it has lost the status the club had to young players and the football community at large.
They have now learnt with the departure of these youngsters, which they acknowledged in the statement, saying: “Sundowns is currently a force in SA football and has built up quite a reputation of the highest standard.
“The incredible resources that they have can be used to scout young players from every corner of this country.
“Our relationship with Sundowns over the years has been incredibly strong hence our surprise that at no stage were we contacted by them to inform us of their interest in our players.
“When we wrote to them stating our concern almost two months ago, and again a week ago, after the recruitment of 12-year-old, Hlumile Tshaka, we did not even receive an acknowledgement of our communication to them.
“This is NOT the same Sundowns we have become accustomed to work with over the years.”
Ikamva has lost the prestige they once had. Players and families see better options for themselves.
Holding players hostage with written paperwork and agreements they signed when they were 12 years old doesn’t work anymore.
It’s never been about the money but always been about the environment at Ikamva.
I know a lot of players who trusted the process there and went along by taking less money and rise through the different stages of development at Ikamva.
Now it seems many of them don’t trust the process and choose to change environments even sooner than what used to be the case.
** The views expressed here are not necessarily those of Independent Media.
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