Two former Bafana Bafana goalkeepers have bemoaned Moeneeb Josephs’s retirement from international football, with Brian Baloyi accusing the Orlando Pirates number one of “behaving like a prima donna”.
In a shock move, Josephs indicated in a letter to Bafana team management that he would not be joining the national camp in Phokeng ahead of next month’s 2014 World Cup qualifiers, citing “personal reasons”.
On Wednesday the 32-year-old followed up that letter with confirmation of permanent retirement from international football, stating he wanted to spend more time with his family.
But it is thought Josephs’s decision to abruptly quit the national side was prompted by insufficient game time, a reason which was volunteered by his Pirates teammate Benni McCarthy.
Baloyi, who himself spent years on the Bafana periphery before his formal retirement from the game, slammed Josephs’s decision as “selfish”.
“We cannot condone what he’s doing,” Baloyi said.
“He’s behaving like a prima donna. He is basically intimating that he would only play for the national team if he’s guaranteed to start, but that would be sending the wrong message to younger players. He should have striven to work harder and support Itu (Itumeleng Khune, the Bafana number one goalkeeper),” Baloyi said.
He added that Josephs should have taken a cue from his own experience, when Baloyi had to play second fiddle to the likes of Andre Arendse and Hans Vonk, even though he was performing at Kaizer Chiefs.
“I played all the games at the 1998 African Nations Cup. Three months later I was on the bench at the World Cup in France. But I never behaved like this, even though that was painful,”said Baloyi. “I never contemplated retirement because ultimately it was about what’s good for the country. Moeneeb is clearly getting wrong advice.
“Being called for national duty is an honour and privilege, and I would never put selfish interests ahead of the country. We need to teach the current generation about patriotism because clearly that is lacking,” added Baloyi, who won a mere 24 caps in an international career spanning 15 years.
The man who kept Baloyi on the bench during his prime, Arendse, was also taken by surprise at Josephs’s decision and called on him to reconsider his early retirement.
“It would be a great loss for the country if he indeed sticks to his word and quits the team. We have World Cup qualifiers coming up and the (Africa) Cup of Nations, which we are hosting next year. Moeneeb and Itu are our most experienced keepers and we need both of them for these major tournaments,” Arendse said.
He recalled how, while playing for Cape Town Spurs, he had received regular call-ups but did not win a first cap until three years later. “Between 1992 and 1995, I was called up for almost every camp but did not play a single game in that period. What was even more frustrating was that I had to deputise for a succession of keepers: Mark Anderson, Steve Crowley, Roger de Sa and Wade du Plessis,” said Arendse.
“There was a point when I came close to packing it in… when I thought it was not worth being in the national team. But I persevered and once I got that first cap out of the way, I never looked back. For my next 60-odd caps, other keepers had to watch me play,” said Arendse, who now works as a television pundit.
The 67-times capped Capetonian urged the SA Football Association and coach Pitso Mosimane to engage with Josephs and talk him out of retirement. “I perfectly understand Moeneeb’s frustration because he’s been around for some time. But the powers that be have to speak to him and see if they can’t convince him otherwise. We certainly need his experience because after Khune, we are lacking badly. The next best keeper would be Wayne Sandilands, then Darren Keet, but none has Moeneeb’s vast experience.” – Star Africa