IT is no secret that Kaizer Chiefs legend Arthur Zwane is not a fan of showboating, in fact, he believes it actually takes South African football backwards.
The Glamour Boys’ MultiChoice Diski Challenge (MDC) coach has always been vocal about his disapproval for “Kasi Flavour,” as it is often referred to, saying it serves local football no purpose.
The 45-year-old believes coaches, especially at grassroots level, need to work harder to instill discipline and encourage young players to play direct football.
Zwane was speaking after his side’s 4-1 thumping of Golden Arrows in their first match of the season at the King Zwelithini Stadium in Umlazi on Saturday.
A total of 15 goals were scored in KwaZulu Natal in the first MDC festival of the expanded season, something that pleased Zwane who wants to see more goals from the youngsters, rather than unnecessary tricks and skills to please the crowd.
Said Zwane: “We are not developing players with confidence and arrogance as well as understanding for the game. We keep saying we have our identity as South Africans but there is no identity to be honest, we are allowing negative football when they have to be direct and be productive.
“I will repeat what I’ve said before, as a nation we are behind because our players play to please fans in the stands, yes supporters are important but we need to understand that they will still love you even if you play proper, direct football like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, those are direct players who are in the business of football, and fans still love them.”
Zwane, who has a Caf A licence and has just finished his Uefa B1, said South African coaches need to equip themselves with proper qualifications so that they can be better informed about where the modern game is headed.
Zwane is also working hard to get his B2 and A1 licences but says he is in no hurry to be a first team coach anytime soon as he believes he has a bigger role to play in grooming young talent.
Added Zwane: “You have to equip yourself as a coach because the information you give to these young boys should be the right one. If you don’t understand what you’re talking about, then you are setting them up for failure. It’s good for us to attend these coaching courses, get our coaching badges and be on par with the rest of the world in terms of understanding the game.”
