Former Bafana Captain Teko Modise Has Solution to Uplift PSL and Bafana Amid Continued World Cup Absence

• It is now customary that South African players and fans watch World Cups from home
• The standard of the Premier Soccer League has plummeted for over two decades
• This has had a devastating impact on the quality of the Bafana Bafana squad
• Former national captain Teko Modise believes he has a straightforward solution

Teko Modise is part of the last generation of South African footballers to have played at a FIFA World Cup, namely the 2010 edition.

On either side of that appearance - a compulsory one as South Africa was the host - Bafana Bafana has failed abjectly in qualifying for the tournament organically.

This has largely been because of the drop in the standard of the Premier Soccer League.

When asked about a solution to this malaise by Sports Brief, Modise - a former national team captain - said:

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"One thing that I can say is that if we want to evolve as Bafana Bafana and the PSL, we need initiatives like the Diski Challenge. They allow only certain age groups to play, which should then become part of the PSL. Why don't you make it a rule that a certain number of players aged 23 and younger MUST play regularly? "

Modise believes this gives players more experience at a younger age, and allows them to be integrated into the Bafana squad.

"Without that, we will still be calling 25-year-olds youngsters. If we can get rid of that, and make it a law that youngsters must play, I think that is where we will come right."

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Mabizela wonders how this can be if its players - local and foreign - are not in any of the African squads that will do battle at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, as was reported by Sports Brief.

Bafana Bafana, for instance, has not been able to secure a place in major football competitions in recent years, including the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) and the World Cup.