Durban - Former captain of the Bafana Bafana Mbulelo Mabizela has slammed the current state of the country's domestic league.
The DStv Premiership is set to kick off at the beginning of next month as current champions Mamelodi Sundowns look to defend their title for the sixth time in a row.
Mabizela, one of the best players to ever emerge from South African shores has expressed his displeasure at the current quality of football displayed in the nation's top flight league.
"I don't watch the PSL anymore, it's boring. Things aren't the same as when we used to play but I also don't expect it to be. If you were to compare the standard of football from when we played, it has somewhat taken steps backwards," said on VibeFM.
The former Tottenham Hotspurs player also believes the current crop of players and individuals in charge of football haven't been successful in upgrading the level of football in the country following on from the foundation he and his colleagues laid in their playing days.
"The current generation couldn't take the baton and continue from where we left off and elevate the standards of the South African game in fact it has continued to regress," he said.
Mabizela has been heavily involved in the development of football players in his hometown of Pietermaritzburg and has stressed the importance of heavy investments into football academies in the township.
"If special attention were to be paid to academies and we ensure that we teach kids the right things when they're still young than we would not have any issues when it's time for players to adjust to senior football," he explained
At his prime, 'OJ' was arguably the best defender to ever don a football kit, those sentiments reportedly compounded by former Bafana and Leeds captain Lucas Radebe.
Mabizela also turned out for the the black and whites of Soweto giants Orlando Pirates and he feels his former clubs is in chaos at the moment as numerous issues have coincided to derail their challenge of one of his other former clubs Mamelodi Sundowns.
"There's a lot of things wrong about Pirates at the moment, the problems could lie in the coaches they choose and the pressure, players not respecting the badge or people in office or the club's signings," he said.
"I remember when I signed for Pirates one of the biggest things that made me nervous was the club's history and that in itself was motivation enough for me to work even harder."