There is an old adage that narrates: “Silence is golden.”
But in this instance the silence is deafening – and now I am referring to the Bayhill Premier Cup Organising Committee and their decision to stay mum on the ‘The Sock-gate Scandal’ which rocked the tournament on Day 2.
This comes after the LOC refused to afford the debutant Elsies River United some grace to change their socks after their colours clashed with their University of Pretoria opponents.
The visitors from Pretoria were drawn as the home side in their group fixture at the 35th edition of the Easter spectacle held at the Erica Park Sports Complex in Belhar, and as the rules clearly state the away team should have had an extra kit just in case of a clash of colours.
The Elsies-based team never had, which led to their default – and a damn sad way to bow out of your very first Bayhill tournament.
The organisers inability to deal with this matter in an assertive and decisive manner, is rather disappointing, to say the least.
Bear in mind the game was scheduled for 15:00 and for the organising committee to not have sent out a press release or acknowledgement of the incident before or after close of play, just increased the decibels of the furore – and understandably so.
This is also what frustrated No Bones with Jones as well because as a roleplayer within the space of amateur football, it is the website’s (journalistic) duty to afford them a right of replay – which wasn’t forthcoming (even late that night) after they were probed.
To be silent on the matter did them very little favours. The scandal could have easily been ‘downplayed’ with a ‘one-liner’ press release or just some sort of notification to inform the public that they take heed of the incident and that they are investigating the matter.
Now, the jury on social media is out and it is pretty clear what they think about the decision of the LOC who refused to afford Elsies some leniency.
Pertinent questions were raised: “Would they have applied the same ‘rules’ if Elsies was a Kaizer Chiefs, Orlando Pirates, a Cape Town City or Sundowns?” Would they have punished them to default the match? I struggle to believe that they would have done so – for obvious reasons of course?
So, why pick on a minnow like Elsies who has put a lot of clubs to shame by qualifying the proper and hardest route to get to the finals of the Easter tournament?
They say first impressions last and that is exactly the memory that the players and management from Elsies will harbour for the next 365 days – if not longer. That is also to say if they do manage to qualify for the event again anytime in the near future.
This is their first qualification and should have been something real special, but for this group of Elsies’ players, The Bayhill memory will be one of humiliation and disgust.
We must also bear in mind that rules are rules and given this some will feel that the LOC acted accordingly while the majority would feel it was harsh and Elsies were done a great injustice.
Especially given the fact that during the playoffs the clash of socks was not an issue as there is evidence to back this up.
The Elsies coach John Goliath pointed out a very important aspect during the Life Skills workshop where it was preached to them that winning is not everything, and that the spirit of the game should at all times prevail.
In this incident, the opponents and referee showed that they were prepared to follow “the spirit of the game” but an overzealous official would have nothing of it.
How disappointing that those who profess to be doing this for the upliftment of the kids, should be the one that pulls a sock over their heads!
But then one can turn around and ask the LOC the very same questions: Where’s your spirit now, Bayhill Committee?
Where is your desire to uplift youngsters from gang and drug ridden areas in Cape Town who use football as an escape from the evils within our society?
The understanding was that the University of Pretoria was prepared to wait so that Elsies could change their socks after the SSS Academy was willing to lend a helping hand (or should it be sock).
According to Goliath the referee apparently did not make the call, but a senior member of the LOC did. P..retty J..udgemental, W..ouldn’t you say?
“The fourth official said we should wait for the member of the LOC to make the call. PJ Williams came over and he was rather arrogant and in my view when he made the decision for the ref with what he said and the way he said it,” Goliath added.
This will definitely be one for the record books as it is the first time in the history of the tournament that something like this occurred and hopefully valuable lessons have been learnt – Perhaps the Bayhill organisers will also realise they need to handle controversy and media issues with more seriousness and oh, not to forget to pull up their socks!
