In this week's edition of the Secret Footballer, a player from a Premier Soccer League club discusses with KickOff the reasons some players arrive at training smelling of alcohol or, in some cases, still drunk.
The Secret Footballer believes that the football authorities in South Africa are partly to blame for these situations, as they often forget that players are human too.
"The problem is that we're denied a social life. We hardly have any 'me time' to ourselves, we are always working, and clubs and the league don't give us a chance to breathe," the Secret Footballer explains.
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"The stories you read about in the media are true and not isolated incidents. We do sometimes come to training drunk, as many of us only go to bed around 3 am after drinking, staying out late, or spending the whole night with one of our numerous girlfriends.
"We don't allow our bodies enough rest. The only solution is for our club chairmen and the league to give us more time to enjoy our social lives.
"We can't play every three days. We can't spend 90% of our lives in hotels, we need to be at home with our loved ones, and we deserve time to relax and have a drink, just like everyone else.
"I can't wait until I retire to have a drink. You don't hear about players arriving at training drunk in rugby or cricket because they are given time to drink and socialize. They aren't playing every three days, so they aren't always in camp," the Secret Footballer added.
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"In football, you typically only get one day off, and you want to accomplish everything in that day; visiting family, spending time with a girlfriend, being with your kids, or having a beer with friends. It's just not enough, so many of us end up drinking during the week.
"Recently, Kaizer Chiefs lost 4-1 to SuperSport United, and people mocked and criticized the players. But seriously, how can you expect to play a Nedbank Cup match against Chippa United on a Saturday evening, then face SuperSport United just two days later on a Tuesday? Thankfully, that last game has been postponed. I wonder what the toll was on the bodies of those poor Kaizer Chiefs players.
"We are not machines, we are human. Our bodies need rest."