SAFA's master-stroke: Lucas Radebe returns as Bafana team manager

Top Bloke: Lucas Radebe and me last year

LUCAS RADEBE is back. Seven years after his retirement from football, South Africa's most successful player returns to the game - as Bafana Bafana's new team manager.

Less than 48 hours after naming Moroka Swallows boss Gordon Igesund as the nation's 15th new coach, the South African Football Association produced their 43-year-old master-stroke.

With president Kirsten Nemetandani presiding and Orlando Pirates chairman Irvin Khosa prompting, former Buccaneer boss Igesund now finds himself with a bullet-proof protector in Radebe, the man who played 200 games for Leeds United from 1994-2005, winning 70 Bafana caps and helping to lift the 1996 AFCON crown.

The trick with Radebe is that the factions in SAFA - and in the PSL - cannot touch South Africa's answer to David "Golden Balls" Beckham.

While Igesund, sharp and to the point, may put a few noses out of joint even before his opening friendly against (gulp) Brazil in September, Radebe will be there to offer advice, motivate the squad and deflect criticism.

During the selection process for the new coach, Radebe dropped obvious hints about his future role, telling Football411: "Firstly, it was not a bad idea to sack Pitso Mosimane because we need new ideas for the team and I'm sure Pitso accepts that we needed a change because we were not getting the results.

“Secondly, I think it was a good idea to shortlist local coaches, because I don't think we need somebody from overseas. It is best to get someone with a better understanding of our football."

Tellingly, he added: "I think the new coach will need a big technical team to help him with the selection of players, a motivator because players need that and so on to make sure they've got all angles covered.

"It won't be a bad idea to involve former coaches such as Clive Barker, but the bottom line is they must put together a technical team that will cover basically everything."
Following Igesund's appointment, Radebe told kickoff.com: "Gordon has a great track record, we all have to support him. There are a lot of expectations, if things go wrong the public will be on his back.
"But Gordon showed at Swallows he can lead players, motivate them. We need a leader, we need confidence. He will bring that back to Bafana. We have to support him all the way."

SAFA remain coy on Radebe’s role – and the appointment of former Kaizer Chiefs stars Fani Madida and Doc Khumalo as assistant coaches. Chief Operations Officer Dennis Mumble said as the story grew around the football-speaking world: "We have no problem with speculation about those three, but it cannot be said that Safa has decided on them – that would be unfair to Gordon as he still has to discuss his preferences with us.”

Igesund himself told KickOff.com: "I still have to discuss this with Safa. I will tell them who I believe should be my assistants."
You only have to meet Lucas Valeriu Radebe (born 12 April 1969) to know the role he will play on his long-awaited return to the game. I met him with agent Glyn Binkin in 2010 at the Moses Madhiba Stadium just before the World Cup and again last year with Robert Marawa when I was working in Abu Dhabi at the Laureus Sports Awards (see picture).

Famous for his charitable works, he oozes charisma, makes women go weak at the knees and generally talks sense, footballing or otherwise.

Now 43, Radebe grew up in Diepkloof , not the poshest end of Soweto, before being “resettled” aged 15 in the so-called homeland of Bophuthatswana, home to Sun City and little else back then. One of 11 children, he played football to keep off the streets, beginning life as a goalkeeper.

As he developed, Radebe became a handy midfielder and started his professional career at Kaizer Chiefs. After a shooting incident and much haggling, he moved to Howard Wilkinson’s 1991 First Division champions with Philemon “Chippa” Masinga in 1994. Even then, the move was worth £250,000 (nearly R3million) to the Amakhosi.

George Graham, something of an expert on central defenders, transformed “The Chief” into one of the Premier League’s great centre-backs, while Masinga was sold, Radebe was transformed. The adoration in Yorkshire even led to the formation of popular music group Kaiser Chiefs, named by Leeds-loving musicians in honour of Radebe.

When I first twittered about Radebe’s return to the Bafana fold on Saturday, the Elland Road faithful immediately got in touch, eagerly trying to find out what their former idol is expected to do in his new role. He captained Leeds in 1998-99 and held the defence together under David O’Leary when the club enjoyed some of their most successful seasons in recent memory.

Radebe turned down Manchester United, Roma and AC Milan as Leeds, spending money like there was no tomorrow, challenged for domestic and European honours. Sir Alex Ferguson said at the time: “Every club needs a Lucas Radebe.”

Radebe has been an ambassador for FIFA’s SOS Children's Villages and received the FIFA Fair Play Award in December 2000 for his work on behalf of Africa’s impoverished.

A major mover in football’s anti-racism campaigns, he was awarded a Contribution to the Community Award by the Premier League in 2003 to celebrate their 10^th anniversary.

In 2004, he came 54th in a vote naming the Top 100 Great South Africans and is a great pal of golfer Tiger Woods, with whom he helps to raise funds for various children's causes.

It hasn’t all be plain sailing. Radebe’s wife Feziwe died of cancer in October 2008 and in December of the same year he needed treated for a heart complaint after collapsing while at the gym.

In April 2010 he won the PFA Merit Award, saying: “Football has played such a big part in lifting my community. I'm very proud.”

Previous Lucas Radebe blogs:

http://neal-collins.blogspot.com/2010/05/in-just-24-hours-with-little-help-from.html

http://neal-collins.blogspot.com/2011/02/laureus-sports-awards-in-sunny-abu.html

No answers to the questions swirling around Gary Speed's death

The mystery surrounding the tragic death of Wales manager Gary Speed deepens. Yesterday, his close friend Alan Shearer asked the question everyone needs answered. He said simply: “Why Speedo, didn't you give me or one of your other close mates a ring, if you were feeling so bad?”
And Speed’s agent Hayden Evans, best man at his wedding to wife Louise, failed to cast any further light on the 42-year-old’s apparent decision to hang himself in the garage of his Cheshire home on Saturday night. He said: "Louise is bewildered. They didn’t argue. She just doesn't understand it."
A post-mortem will be held today at 3pm GMT where details of Speed’s death will be clarified. Current reports suggest he may have hung himself at around 11.30pm on Saturday night. Police were called to the house in Huntingdon at 7am on Sunday morning and the news of his death was released just before Swansea City – the only Welsh side in the Premier League - kicked-off their game against Aston Villa.
After a minute’s silence filled with warm applause, Speed’s former Newcastle team-mate, Villa goalkeeper Shay Given, was inconsolable, weeping openly as a 0-0 draw which should never have been played dragged to a conclusion. What was it Bill Shankly said? “Football isn’t life and death. It’s more important than that.” Bollocks.
But the mystery remains. Speed appeared on BBC’s Football Forum in Manchester on Saturday morning, where he talked on air with former Leeds team-mate Gary McAllister, making jokes and promising to play golf next week. He then watched a televised game with Shearer in the studio.
As rumours of a row with Louise and a possible kiss-and-tell story lurking in the tabloids swirled around the internet, Hayden told The Sun this morning: "Gary and Louise were happily married and anyone who knows them will tell you that. This is why it's a mystery.
"We genuinely at the moment have no clue whatsoever what has caused it and I have been with the family all day. Everybody is asking the same question and no one has an answer. We are all in shock."
Many on Twitter have asked if Speed suffered from depression, blamed for the attempted suicides of boxer Frank Bruno and footballer Paul Gascoigne, sportsmen of similar ages over the past decade.
But with Speed taking Wales 70 places up the FIFA rankings in less than a year and widely revered for being a level-headed veteran of 840 games including a record 84 games for his nation before his retirement, there is no suggestion of any mental illness. Never has been.
Hayden, who said Speed was “happy as can be” when they spoke on the telephone on Saturday night, insisted: “Bouts of depression? None whatsoever. The one thing the family and me - as one of his closest friends - would totally refute is that. There was no indication of any problems and never has been."
Shearer is equally mystified. The pair played together at Newcastle for six winters and still take family holidays together. He said: "The question I keep asking myself and have done since I heard the dreadful news is 'Why? Why Speedo, didn't you give me or one of your other close mates a ring, if you were feeling so bad?'
"Why he couldn't have picked up the phone for a chat in those moments before he did what he did, I'll never know. None of us will.
"I was with him on Saturday watching the Stoke game and arranging next weekend.

"He was coming up with his wife to stay at my house. We were going to various charity dinners. I left the studio, shook his hand and said, 'See you next weekend.' Unfortunately I won't."
Shearer, like so many in football this week, is finding the loss of one of the game’s most respected players impossible to accept: "This just doesn't happen to one of your best mates. My wife is in bits. We just keep thinking of Louise, the two boys and his mum and dad. I can't imagine the pain they're going through. I can't get my head around the fact I was with him and he was happy, joking.
"We were having a laugh and joke about golf trips and holidays that we went on together last year. We were planning our next holiday in Portugal next summer with the families and the kids.
"I played against him many times, but when Kenny Dalglish signed him for Newcastle straight away we struck up a relationship. You're bound to have arguments along the way in football — but no one ever did with Gary.
"No one had a bad word for him. He was what you'd describe as a proper bloke, a proper man. You could depend on him."