In an article....

published last week, Graeme Smith said that over the years CSA has been pouring millions of Rand into coaching. I believe Smithy. Smithy also feels that the system has failed Protea cricket and that there is a need to know why there is no quid pro quo. There is no point in knocking the players, they don't pick themselves, they are the end result of something that's gone awfully rotten. The article doesn't mention an investigation but how else would anyone determine the holes the funds fell into if the matter is not investigated.

Fans talk of one or two players coming through looking to progress to the highest level.......good but not good enough, out of a population of 50 million with the amount of money being poured into its development there should easily be enough players to make two strong teams worthy of playing at the highest level. 

Denny 

What Smith said is true and to the point.   Fact is that is why Standard Bank decided to withdraw their sponsorship - the money they gave went into a bottomless pit of corruption as bad as the case is with Government.

I wonder how much of the hundreds of millions spent on development actually contributed to any development. 

I have from the start said that real development start at school level. and that goes hand in hand with three factors - proper nutrition, proper physical development and proper coaching.   

Why is it that most of the Blacks in the past and even at present in the case of both cricket and rugby went to schools with good sport development programs?   The social environment in communities are not what it should be.

I have for years pleaded for development of sport-orientated schools for potential Black sportsmen - being it in rugby, cricket or soccer - or for that matter in all codes of sport.   Those should have hostel facilities where pupils are effectively removed from negatives in lower income environments they grew up in.  

In any event CSA is in such a mess that the money leakage is horrible.  I saw Faul - the new CEO talking to Smith while watching the test and it was clear they were not amused by their discussion.   Whatever it was it must have been seriously problematic.  

The real issue is to clean up the mess it should start with the Board of CSA.   Like in the case of rugby the Board is selected by amateur bodies - a real crony system.   The first thing to be done is to get rid of the Board and replace it temporarily with a Board comprising of -

*   real cricket professionals; and

*   major sponsors (especially to ensure sound financial management) - I am sure the lost sponsors will come back i f they have a say on how their money is spent.

Once that has been sorted out one can lay down requirements on the selection of a future Board on a sound basis. There should always be a requirement that Professionals  must control a professional code of sport. This amateurish nonsense must stop.  

The next step should be a really professional study on how the CSA Administration is dealt with.  That should include what structural organization is required and how efficiently the present employees function - bearing in mind their capabilities and not their connections - cutting out cronyism.   

A huge task - but a very essential one if we ever want to see cricket advancement in SA.            

I bet Faul was arguing about quota numbers.

Denny

No Faul was only recently appointed by CSA to clear up the mess just before Smith nd Boucher was roped in.   Don't think the quo ta issue is important at all at this stage.   

Well, more South Africans cared about Bavuma playing in the last test than care about the team losing. More people care about the presence of a black player in the team than what they care about SOE's being hopelessly bankrupt and Zuma rolling around the country as a free man.

"The real issue is to clean up the mess it should start with the Board of CSA.   Like in the case of rugby the Board is selected by amateur bodies - a real crony system.   The first thing to be done is to get rid of the Board and replace it temporarily with a Board comprising of -

and No Faul was only recently appointed by CSA to clear up the mess just before Smith nd Boucher was roped in.   Don't think the quota issue is important at all at this stage."  

Yes Mike but the real problem started with the quota system and it's so deep and disastrous now that the quota issue is not important at this stage.

This too will be a problem with rugby that looks destined to become just repetition of the cricket...all started with the quota system and secondary measures will no doubt be adopted

until "the mess" will be so devastating that it too will do go round in circles with equally very poor results.

Don't think these fools with hidden political agendas have a clue what they are doing until it's too late.

Fools never learn or comprehend their mistakes.

We will see rugby like cricket fall into a similar pit of no return until it's too late.

SA Sport is being manipulated to a point of no return.