Covid-19 affects young players

Innocent Kurira, Sports Reporter
THE Covid-19 pandemic has exposed young players to behaviours inconsistent with the footpath of becoming professional footballers, according to Ajax Hotspurs director Siphambaniso Dube.

Exactly 20 years ago, Dube founded Ajax Hotspurs and the club has gone on to produce stars that represented the country and featured in Africa’s top club competition.

The Ajax Hotspurs’ teams are from the Under-13 age group right up to the first team competing in the Zifa Southern Region Division One.

The club thrives on spotting young talented players and helping nurture their skills to prepare them for bigger platforms.

The club has produced stars such as Divine Lunga, who was recently snapped up by South African DStv Premier Soccer League champions Mamelodi Sundowns, Chrispen Machisi, Peter Muduhwa, Khumbulani Banda and Denzel Khumalo.

With the country heading into the second year without juniors’ football and with no clear sign of when football might return, Dube says the effects of lengthy periods of inactivity will be fully felt in a few years.

“It’s a painful experience that we are going through. Two years on and still no football. This means a 11-year-old then will never play an initial stage (Under-14) in our developmental setup. Basics will be lost for that generation,” said Dube.

“We might take it lightly, but we will realise the repercussions later in these boys’ careers. It’s a really difficult situation and we really need the situation to get back to normal urgently.”

He said his greatest fear was young players quitting the game early in their careers.

“Obviously, boredom crept into these young boys a long time ago. What is sad is that most of these boys are slowly drifting into drug abuse, casual sex and even acts of crime.

“The unfortunate situation of not knowing when they’ll be allowed to play is one of the biggest frustrations for any athlete and as we speak, some of them have already quit the game,” he said.

Besides the love and passion for junior development that has kept Dube going, it is the thought of changing “someone’s life for the better” that gives him satisfaction. With his Ajax Hotspurs outfit celebrating 20 years this year, Dube says they are planning huge celebrations before the year ends to celebrate their two decades in football. – @innocentskizoe