Liverpool FC Forum

by **tommycockles** » Wed Mar 19, 2008 11:07 am

Taken from Sky Sports:

Everton have hit out at a proposal from South Africa's sports minister that could stop the country's best players from representing their clubs for two years ahead of the 2010 World Cup.

Makhenkesi Stofile believes South Africa's top 50 players should be contracted to the government so they can prepare fully for the tournament.

If the plan is implemented Everton would be likely to lose midfielder Steven Pienaar, but Stofile maintains that South African football must focus solely on 2010.

"We'll contract the players and tell the coach 'here, work with them'," said Stofile.

"They won't play for their clubs for two years and will be preparing only for the World Cup soccer tournament.

"We have to prevent them from embarrassing us."

Everton chief executive Keith Wyness does not feel the plan is at all practical and has criticised the South African authorities.

"While we sympathise with the sentiment behind the idea, it is entirely unworkable and shows a complete lack of understanding for how the football world works," Wyness said in the Daily Express.

Haha- this is hilarious. What are they on?

by **JC_81** » Wed Mar 19, 2008 12:09 pm

That'll never happen in a million years.

And even if it did, if the South African players went into a world cup having not played club football for 2 years they'd get destroyed.

by **woof woof !** » Wed Mar 19, 2008 12:52 pm

I'm sure Fifa wouldn't stand for it, it amounts to government interference in sport. If this buffoon continued to press ahead with such nonsense he'd be running the risk of losing the right to host the world cup.

by **tommycockles** » Wed Mar 19, 2008 1:49 pm

john craig wrote:That'll never happen in a million years.

And even if it did, if the South African players went into a world cup having not played club football for 2 years they'd get destroyed.

100% agree- who would they be supposed to practice against? This guy clearly knows nothing about football which makes it an even bigger joke that they're hosting the World Cup.

by **Owzat** » Wed May 14, 2008 5:45 pm

Who does that affect in the bitter XI? Pienaar? It would be quite funny since they've now signed him!

Tommycockles - who hosts the world cup is all politics and football doesn't come into it. They're spreading it round the world and to hell with practical issues. They've been back in sport for about 20 years having been banned because of apartheid, I think some are far too forgiving for something people had to suffer for a lot longer than 20 years.................

by **Owzat** » Sun Jun 22, 2008 10:27 am

On the South African issue, apart from McCarthy are there any saffers worth signing? Serves Smeegel right for signing cheap cr ap

If what they said on ITV last night is true then it reinforces my strong belief that co-hosting should be abolished. They said there were 100,000 dutch fans at the game last night, not all in the ground of course because the crapacity was 30k. Why are they hosting major international events in a country (or two) that can manage stadia of only 30k?!?!?!?!? It makes no financial sense and frankly anything less than 50k should not be hosting a QF of a major competition. I hear Wales and Scotland are going to bid to cohost the next but one, how many stadia do they have over 50k?

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