A former professional footballer died in Hermanus this week and although 30 years ago he made a huge contribution to non-racial soccer in South Africa, his passing went unnoticed and was hardly reported.
Jimmy Turner, who died at 65 from a blood pressure condition, was the first coach to field a player of colour when he gave Laden Gamiet his debut for East London United against Hellenic in 1977.
At the time, the National Football League was for teams made up of white players only with crowds segregated, and the mixing of the races forbidden by the Nationalist government's despised apartheid system.
Born in England, Turner arrived here in 1967 after having played for Queens Park Rangers and West Ham United. At West Ham he was a friend of and played with England's 1966 World Cup winning captain Bobby Moore who was bestman at Turner's wedding.
But it was at Green Point stadium when Gamiet brushed shoulders with his white opponents - and to top it off scored the winner against Hellenic - that started the ball rolling… it was the beginning of the end of apartheid in soccer.
There were three separate leagues, the National Professional Soccer League for blacks, the Federation Professional League for coloured and Indian players and the whites-only NFL.
That incident created an era where players of all races played soccer, and one could see black players in a white team and for many white players it was their first visits to the townships.
It is sad though that Turner and his courageous decision is something that is not common knowledge, as it is that history is written by those in power.
Our local soccer history gives only one side, which is sad for soccer in the country. It's as if there was no soccer except in Soweto and around Johannesburg. It is as if coloured and white people never played soccer.
Old players and administrators being honoured and thanked for their contribution to the beautiful game are black and most have a connection to the Soweto giants.
Because of this there is not much involvement of white people and this is evident in the fact that the number of white players playing in the PSL is not reflective of whites that play and are good enough to play professionally.
Most whites prefer to go and start their careers in Europe.
This has created a belief that soccer is a black (including coloured) sport in this country, as white people have fled the game in droves.
Perhaps this highlights the dominance/monopoly of the Soweto giants over football - that it's history is told and all revolves around them.
Soccer has a deep meaning for many people in this country, but it is being treated as if it has a deep meaning only for black people.
Football administrators have said that they want to generate more interest in soccer but the reality is the very same administrators do not recognise the role played by all in the development of football in our country.
We have a wealth of expertise that could be utilised at the grassroots level, but that is where the game is dead - because of maladministration and officials that serve their own selfish ends.
Some things Turner's death also point out is that there is still a lot of work that needs to be done, a lot of voices to be listened to and a lot of acknowledgement by soccer administration in order to truly unite our people in the love of the game again. The World Cup can only highlight to the outside world the dictatorship that currently exists in our soccer administration.