Former Bafana Bafana goalkeeper coach Farouk Abrahams’ recent induction, along with that of Kader de Goede, into the Western Cape Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport (DCAS) Legends Hall of Fame, was long overdue.
In fact, even if this had never materialised, Abrahams is one of those extraordinary individuals who unfortunately cannot be defined by a piece of paper – especially one with a gold plated plastic frame…
Neither can his contributions and achievements in football over the previous four decades… It cannot be diminished and will remain credible as his work is tangible and for all to see.
As they say, the proof is in the pudding, hence he would still be regarded as a legend, adored and idolised by many – not just in Cape Town but the broader country – paper or non-paper.
Because legends are born and Abrahams is the epitome thereof.
The Manenberg-raised Abrahams also has an international footprint, albeit just the size of his shoe, but it’s there as he has rubbed shoulders with the who’s who of the footballing world, which includes the likes of Frans Beckenbauer, Dida, Andreas Kopke, Glen Hoddle, Sir Alex Ferguson, Ian Wright, Jurgen Klinsmann, Michael Ballack and many others.
Abrahams was Bafana goalkeeper coach at the 2002 FIFA World Cup in Korea/Japan and also for a World X1 match in 2008 in Germany. In between, he helped to set up German goalkeeper schools across Germany based on the FAGA model.
Abrahams was in goal when the SA Masters team drew 2-2 with a strong England masters team in Durban in 2001. Abrahams has gone full circle as a player, coach, football scribe, motivational speaker, and now developing our future goalkeeper stars.
But it was on the local front where “Hadjie” earned his respect and adoration from the footballing public. I was unfortunately too young to have witnessed Abrahams in his heyday, but those who did will testify what this man was all about.
What is particularly humbling about the 70-year old – who bedazzled the crowds with his heroics in the goalposts for clubs like Cape Town Spurs and Maritzburg United, during the height of apartheid – is that he is still ploughing back into the beautiful game.
Abrahams does this via his specialist Farouk Abrahams Goalkeeper Academy (FAGA), which has produced top quality goalkeepers and coaches over the years.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Sport and Cultural Affairs Ricardo Mackenzie paid tribute to these Legends at the capping ceremony held at Kronenburg Estate near Paarl recently.
“Your place in history is secured, not because of a single game, a record or a championship, but because of the lives you have changed.
“Your legacy is not just in the past. It lives on in every child you have mentored, every athlete you have coached and every community you have uplifted,” Mackenzie stated.
Abrahams added that he never chases after awards for doing what he loves most. “I am humbled and grateful though, since the acknowledgment came in my lifetime and not posthumously.”
PHOTO SUPPLIED BY MARK WARD
