Bafana legend Shaun Bartlett says new generation lack tough mindset

As Bafana Bafana remain the laughing stock of the continent by failing to regularly qualify for major tournaments, former striker and captain Shaun Bartlett says it is time this generation of players look in the mirror and do some introspection.

Bafana failed to qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) in Cameroon last year and missed the plane for the 2022 Fifa World Cup now under way in Qatar.

The last time Bafana qualified for the World Cup was 20 years ago, for Korea/Japan 2002, and they last played in the tournament on home soil in 2010 where they qualified as hosts.

“I missed that World Cup in 2002 in Korea/Japan. I was captain in the whole qualifying campaign and we had an agreement with Safa and coach Carlos Queiroz that the overseas-based players would not be called up for Afcon in Mali because it was not that important.

“I tore my Achilles and it was disappointing for me to miss that tournament [the 2002 World Cup] having been the captain during the qualifying campaign and having played all the matches under Queiroz.

“It is more disappointing that it has been 20 years that we have not qualified. In 2010 we were hosting and it doesn’t really count, and after all this time we still think we are on the right track.

“I don’t know what world these people [those running South African football] are living in. We used to be a superpower on this continent. We are no longer a superpower and that’s the reality, everybody thinks they can come here and beat us.

“We don’t command respect any more like before. Sometimes players also need to aspire and have the same ambition.

“We were successful in that era of 1996 to 2002 because 75% to 90% of the players were playing in Europe and in top leagues.

“They were playing in the English Premier League, Serie A [in Italy], France and maybe our players need to have a look and [do] introspection. They need to ask themselves, 'Do I really need to play in South Africa or do I still want to go abroad and maybe come back again?'

“We can’t take the element away that money is always going to be a factor. You can earn a lot of money in the PSL now, but you can earn that same amount in a week in Europe if you are that good.

“We came back with the experience of playing against top players week in and week out and we helped the national team. That is what is missing at this moment.”

In recent years players such as Keagan Dolly and Bongani Zungu have returned, seemingly prematurely, from Europe to play in the PSL. Bartlett said the current generation does not have a strong mindset.

“It is easier to come back and earn big bucks at Chiefs, Pirates and Sundowns than go abroad and sacrifice everything that is maybe not agreeing with you. Sometimes it is the different language, different culture, different lifestyle and not everybody is prepared to do that.

“So that is what is comes down to — we don’t have the strong mindset in the players of this generation to succeed at that level.

“When I came back to sign for Chiefs I was 34, not 28 or 30 — now players are coming back at 28 or 30 and not sticking it out in Europe.

“The other way is we need to send younger players to Europe, get them to develop and stay there a bit longer.”

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