Zaahier Adams
The South African football landscape has traditionally been tilted towards the so-called big clubs from Johannesburg.
Soweto giants Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates have always had deep pockets to financially outmuscle their rivals in the bid to lure the country’s top footballers. Over the past decade, Mamelodi Sundowns have taken this to a different level with Masandawana being bankrolled by one of Africa’s richest men, Patrice Motsepe.
While this may be a global trend with the likes of Manchester City, Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain holding sway in their respective leagues due to the power of their cheque books, there certainly still has to be a space left open for the competition.
And this brings me to Stellenbosch FC. The Winelands outfit are one of the best-run sporting fraternities in the country and have reaped the fruits of their labour.
Last season was particularly special for Stellies. Not only did the longest-serving coach in the Premiership, Steve Barker, lead Stellenbosch FC to their first top-flight trophy, by winning the Carling Cup, but they also finished in a best-ever third place in the League.
Coupled with MTN8 and Nedbank Cup semi-final spots, it was a dream season for the men in maroon.
Third place in the League, with Pirates only edging Stellies on goal difference, also ensured CAF Confederation Cup qualification for the first time. For a team that was fighting it out in the National First Division not too long ago, it was an incredible achievement.
It therefore leaves me bewildered that ahead of Stellenbosch’s biggest season in their history, they have once again sold off their most prized assets, leading goalscorer Iqraam Rayners and captain Deano van Rooyen, to Sundowns and Pirates.
Stellies will be competing on five fronts this season, and to do so without such stalwarts will be a heavy burden to bear.
While I have little doubt that Barker would have tried his best to convince CEO Rob Benadie to hold on to the duo, their ultimate release does not send a message that Stellenbosch FC are wanting to go toe-to-toe with the big guns just yet.
Over the past three seasons, Stellies have sold off a host of major players including Junior Mendieta (Sundowns), Ashley du Preez and Zitha Kwinika (both Kaizer Chiefs), and now Rayners and Van Rooyen, to local rivals.
It follows the trend of the now-defunct fellow Western Cape club Ajax Cape Town, that managed to produce plenty of talented players but adopted the strategic business model of selling off its best players at a profit.
The strength of Stellies is that it is a team that is greater than the sum of its parts and that Barker is able to bring the best out of every player and take them to greater heights, but I fear that being asked to produce a near- miracle each season may just be a bridge too far even for him.