There is simply too much history, sentiment and nostalgia surrounding Santos FC for Cape Town’s football public not to ‘take up arms.’
Hence, former players, legends, stalwarts and coaches have galvanized to rally behind their former club as they can no longer sit back and allow ‘The People’s Team’ to be mistreated and disrespected in the manner that Safa Western Cape is doing.
Enough is enough!
This is exactly why the Crowie brothers, Duncan (pictured) and Desmond, along with other greats such as Donnie Ronnie, Salie Adams amongst others have broken their silence following the expulsion from the ABC Motsepe League of their beloved Santos.
Mind you, Santos remains the only Cape Town team to have won all the trophies on offer during their golden era in the early 2000’s – the PSL title (2001/02), followed by the Bob Save Super Bowl (2001) and the BP Top 8 a year later in 2002.
Needless to say, the football public cannot and will never forget the broader role Goolam Allie’s (owner and chairman) club played during the pre- and post-apartheid era.
In fact, despite its fall from grace over time, Allie still remains loyal and committed to the cause, more than four decades since the club was established.
No Bones with Jones reached out to some of the club’s heroes of yesteryear to get their views on the travesty that is being committed by Safa Western Cape.
A former Santos-captain and former National u/17 coach and Caf Licence instructor, Duncan Crowie, opened up to No Bones with Jones.
“I will go as far back as the apartheid era. Santos played an important part in the non-racial league and for them to be disrespected in the way that they are, is almost criminal. I’ve read the stories and I’m following… And if people are owed something, then they need to get it.
“It’s also sad that only a handful or one or two are assisting or standing close to Goolam, as we need assistance from all clubs to fight things like this, because all of us are Safa, and we must ‘fight’ if something is wrong in the family. We need to talk about it, and this is our family, and that is how it must be treated. And the disrespect, no, it’s a no-no in this case,” Duncan added.
Duncan’s younger brother Desmond also added his two cents: “It’s so sad what’s happening to one of the custodians of Apartheid in sport. We have fought this long, hard battle to eradicate the boundaries of apartheid.
“Now one of our ‘brothers’ is in this predicament, and we are turning a blind eye. Unbelievable! Forget about the face of the person in the ‘struggle,’ look at the merits of the case. We are all directly affected, but now we are looking the other way. Shame on us! That’s the current state of our communities. “I only live for myself,”- sad,” Desmond pointed out.
Donnie Ronnie, who turned pro with Santos in the early eighties, also weighed in on the matter. “My personal view is Safa WC has been allowed to do just as they please with these clubs for many years,” Ronnie explained.
“Unfortunately, there is no unity amongst the clubs as the owners of these respective clubs are all about themselves, and most times, they have personal grudges.
“But that must be put aside and they must look at the bigger picture; it shouldn’t be allowed to happen that Safa can just do that because they are not acting in the interest of soccer.
According to Ronnie, no one can deny the impact and positive role Santos played in the lives of footballers and the broader public.
“Santos was the only pro club I played for, known as the People’s Team. When I stopped playing after the first time, when Sevens Stars were formed, they approached me to come and play for them. But in my mind, Santos was still my team, you know.
“In hindsight, it was perhaps silly of me, but I mean that was the team that gave me the opportunity and so…. And I’m a very loyal person, sometimes to my detriment,” Ronnie added.
A former coach in Salie Adams also voiced his concerns. “Look, Goolam knows the constitution and rules, and he won’t fight for something that is not in the constitution.
“If the constitution is prostituted, if I can put it that way, then Goolam has the right to object. The suspension is very bad. If you want to fight, fight Goolam, not the club. You cannot suspend the club for his actions.
“Yes, he is Santos, but what they need to make sure is that the football continues because there are a lot of young players who have committed themselves to the club – and they are the ones who are now being deprived and sidelined,” Adams concluded.
