Fabian McCarthy calls for greater investment in South Africa’s grassroots football

Former Mamelodi Sundowns and Kaizer Chiefs defender Fabian McCarthy has warned that South Africa could lose a generation of football talent unless more resources are directed towards grassroots development.

McCarthy, who came through school football and the development structures that once helped identify young players, believes those pathways have been neglected. He says the lack of investment is making it harder for promising youngsters to emerge, particularly outside the country’s established football centres.

“The talent that you see week in, week out at GDL level or LFA level, I’m not talking about the leagues where there’s always fighting or corruption, I’m talking about development in terms of your local LFA,” McCarthy said.

“Most of us now have kids that are playing for these development teams where we can see and we so wish that this can just be stretched out to all the other provinces, the nine provinces in our country.”

McCarthy used his own route into the national set-up to demonstrate the importance of creating opportunities across all nine provinces. He represented the North West at under-16 level and was later selected for the under-17 team, although he did not make the final squad.

His breakthrough came through the United Bank Challenge, a programme run by coach Shakes Mashaba to scout players who were not involved in structured development leagues.

“I made the North West team under16 and then I was selected to represent the under17 team but I didn’t make the final team. Then again the United Bank Challenge, the programme that coach Shakes Mashaba was running, I then got selected in 1995 as one of the best players from the North West,” he said.

“I got known to South African football through that United Bank Challenge that coach Shakes Mashaba took upon himself to travel the country to scout for players that were not playing in structured development football leagues.”

McCarthy said football once offered more regular platforms for young players, including junior leagues and curtain-raiser matches before Premier Soccer League fixtures.

“That time in Gauteng there was the Chappies little league, there were some junior leagues that were playing week in, week out. Some kids were playing curtain raisers before the main PSL games,” he added.

Players from the North West had to wait for programmes such as those to gain visibility, he said. McCarthy progressed from the under-20 and under-23 teams to the All Africa Games and the Olympic team.

He also recalled choosing to represent South Africa at the Olympics while on a six-month loan deal from Bloemfontein Celtics in Cyprus, sacrificing the remainder of his contract.

“I was in Cyprus for six months and there was a challenge for me to say, am I going to camp and go to the Olympics or am I gonna stick out with my six months loan contract from Bloemfontein Celtics,” he said.

“Then I made a decision and said I’m gonna represent my country, I’d rather lose the six months that I have. Little did I know that we were gonna make history.”

McCarthy wants the current generation to progress further, with South Africa targeting AFCON success and a World Cup semi-final or quarterfinal in 2030.

“We want the next Bafana team to win the AFCON, the next Bafana team in 2030 to go to the semi-final or quarterfinals of the World Cup because we have the talent,” he said. “We just don’t need to rush and take shortcuts and to bribe or do things that the game doesn’t allow.”