Bafana Bafana have been advised to fix their challenges from the bottom and take the CHAN tournament serious to be a force at the AFCON finals and be qualifying for the World Cup.
As the latest edition of the CHAN (Africa Nations Championship) goes into the final on Saturday with Senegal up against hosts Algeria, Bafana Bafana is nowhere to be seen again having failed to qualify for this tournament for the fourth time in a row.
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Bafana last played in this competition as hosts in 2014 when then Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula labelled them as 'a bunch of losers' and have chosen not to give the qualifiers the due attention it deserves despite there being now prizemoney of R34 million for the winners.
"South Africa just needs to change their mentality at how they view the continent," points out Clifford Mulenga who is in Algeria as part of the on-site commentary team for CAF.
Mulenga spent over a decade in South Africa playing for more than 10 teams.
"I was one of those people that initially thought this was a waste of time and resources, but I have now come to realise how beneficial an initiative this is for the continent.
"I know the mindset is that the South African league is the best in Africa but when you compare football statistics with what happens on the field it tells of a different story.
"South Africa is not even in the top 10 on the continent (FIFA rankings) so I believe these are the type of tournaments that South Africa needs to respect and start taking seriously.
"Senegal is here, Algeria is here, Morocco was meant to be here, Ghana was here, Ivory Coast…
"I mean, in football you must go through all stages from the bottom go to CHAN, then AFCON, then World Cup with no shortcuts because to reach the top you start from the bottom.
"South Africa needs to lead from the region to inspire the smaller nations.
"I mean the president of CAF is from South Africa after all so South Africa needs to change its mentality.
"It doesn't paint a good picture of the president that he is here, but South Africa is not there to compete in such a tournament.
"South Africa has no excuse not to be here because they have all the resources and need to be leading on the continent," says Mulenga.
"Now, when you not going to these tournaments there starts being all these complaints and noise about Mamelodi Sundowns who are pursuing their own success as a club.
"While here in Algeria I have been told that in Southern Africa we are too relaxed because we don't know what suffering is.
"They say we have never experienced suffering like countries in the rest of the continent in East, West and North Africa where there are civil wars, hunger and like and so football is an escape to better opportunities.
"So, this is why players from our region don't have the desire to chase the world stage," he adds.
Laurindo Aurelio Depu, Koloina Razafindranaivo, Ousmane Diouf, David Abagna, Ahmed Kendouci, Herenilson do Carmo, and Jean Marc Makusu Mundele make up the names of those that have already moved to better opportunities after featuring in this tournament.
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