Kaizer Chiefs’ mediocre performance against Ajax Cape Town in the MTN 8 Cup final illustrated the lame pre-season preparations for all South African big teams like Chiefs, Sundowns and pirates.
Chiefs took part of their pre-season preparations to Swaziland where they were gifted with a cow by Swazi royalty for their efforts in the Swazi King’s Cup.
Bucs also took part, but both crashed out on penalties in the semi-finals.
Mamelodi Sundowns toured Zambia before returning home to win the eTV Charity Showdown final.
Next the Brazilians head out to Namibia to test their superstar squad against sides from that region.
Yet, with football now a global game in which major clubs take their brands to emerging football markets, it appears Chiefs, Bucs and Downs are content to prepare for the new season in football backwaters.
They are in fact, missing out on valuable marketing exposure as well as an unforgettable football experience.
Maybe Pirates can be excused from this grouping because of their always total commitment in competitions like the African Champions League and CAF Confederations Cup.
However, the argument to excuse Chiefs and Downs is less convincing. As fans, we would aspire to see Chiefs taking part in the 2015 international Champions Cup, a tournament featuring the likes of Real Madrid, Barcelona, Paris Saint Germain, Chelsea, etc.
However, an argument could be made that resources and costs of such international trips would be excessive, although surely this wouldn’t hinder a side like Sundowns.
Backed by the billion-dollar empire of its president Patrice Motsepe, arranging a world tour should arguably be the way to go.
Meanwhile, I do concur that even during Stuart Baxter’s era as Chiefs coach, it was a challenge he tried to take on when he made initial arrangements to tour Italy in 2013.
It was something that fell through after costs and logistical concerns seemingly escalated.
Even playing against international sides that are not recognised as being giants of the game would serve a purpose, as it would expose our big clubs to a higher and more intense quality of football, which could only be of benefit to our players and the national team.
With Chiefs committed to playing in the African Champions League this season, learning to play well away from home against world-class talent could have made all the difference.
Surely, Chiefs mediocre performance against Ajax Cape Town in the MTN 8 Cup final will go a long way for Chiefs diehards to forget and something must be done and the sooner the better.
However, the positive thing is that coach Steve Kompela has realised that: “Chiefs are unable to put pressure on their 18 yard when defending.”
Philani Hadebe is a freelance journalist
