By Duncan Mackay
January 4 – Some of South Africa’s former players, led by Shaun Bartlett (pictured), have launched a series of “boot camps” for teenagers as part of a new scheme bankrolled by Nike to try to find new young talent.
Bartlett, who spent six years at Charlton Athletic when they were in the Premier League, and the other former Bafana players, who include Eric Tinkler and Roger de Sa, are worried by the way the South African Football Association (SAFA) have failed to stop Bafana’s slide into a third rate soccer nation after being number one in Africa in 1996.
Nike are spending R14 million (£1.2 million) on the project, said Bartlett .
Players from Gauteng clubs have been invited and the sports good company will pay the players’ expenses, including accommodation, boots and training kit.
Bartlett won a winner’s medal with Bafana in the 1996 African Nations Cup and he scored two goals for his country at the 1998 World Cup finals in France in the 2-2 draw against Saudi Arabia and is the architect of the scheme.
He said: ”We [South Africa] have gone backwards since 1996.
“That is a fact borne out by our current world ranking of 85th when in 1996 Bafana were in the top 20 in the world.
“If SAFA do not want to do it, then we as former players are going to help
“It is a sad state of affairs.
“If the powers that be [SAFA] are not prepared to do something, then we as former Bafana players are going to do something with the help of Nike who have come to the party.
“It is vital we start at the bottom and lay a solid foundation.
“Our goal is to produce players who will represent Bafana at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
“This is not a one off project.
“After the other two camps in Gauteng in April and during the World Cup in June, we will select 20 boys to go and train in Brazil where they will play some matches at one of Brazil’s World Cup stadiums sometime in 2011.”
Bartlett, who scored 29 goals in 74 appearances for Bafana, said: “The situation has reached a stage where something has to be done and if SAFA do not want to do it, then we as former players are going to help.
“This venture with Nike is not a one-off.
“There are millions of dollars involved in this long term programme and will be run on similar lines as their boot camp projects in South Korea, the United States and in Europe.”
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