I HAVE observed something rather odd about goalkeepers of Absa Premiership teams this season and it got me thinking. More than half of the 16 clubs have foreign nationals as their keepers. There is nothing wrong with that, but it brings me to ask whether enough is being done to unearth and polish goalkeepers in our country. AmaZulu may not have an active international keeper but have former Zambian goalkeeper, Davies Phiri as their goalkeeper coach since 2014. Baroka have two internationals; Zimbabwean international, Elvis Chipezeze and Namibian, Loydt Kazapua. Black Leopards’ Jonas Mendes from Guinea Bissau has been their first team choice shot-stopper and has been in the starting XI for 95% of their matches. Patrick Tignyemb, the Cameroon-born shot-stopper had been at Bloemfontein Celtic for 12 solid years where he kept 109 cleans sheets in 311 appearances. Log-leaders Kaizer Chiefs have had the 1,86 meter tall Nigerian international, Daniel Akpeyi, as first choice for the better part of the season in the absence of the veteran, Itumeleng Khune. Mamelodi Sundowns have two accomplished internationals in their fold; Zambia’s Kennedy Mweene and Ugandan Dennis Onyango. Orlando Pirates have the young French international, Joris Delle as third choice. Peter Leeuwenburgh from the Netherlands dons the number one jersey at Cape Town City. Maritzburg United have Richard Ofori of Ghana while Golden Arrows boasts Maximillian Mbaeva of Namibia and Edmore Sibanda. Boy de Jong mans the poles for Stellenbosch and Supersport United have four keepers, among them Washington Arubi from Zimbabwe. Another Zimbabwean, George Chigova is at Polokwane City who commands regular starts just as Tapuwa Kapini at Highlands Park. The question that begs answers is: Why do we seem to have a concentration of foreign goalkeepers in our league? Granted if they are good enough they ought to be signed but the absence of local goalkeepers signals a scary picture. While some clubs have invested heavily in goalkeeper trainers and coaches, there is urgent need to start investing in identifying and nurturing goalkeeping talent as it is clear there is something amiss. This by no means is not a new discussion because way back, some clubs have relied on foreign talent for goalkeeping purposes but their demand has since risen dramatically. Where lies the challenge?
