So, the reality of Hope FC ditching Sea Point Swifts after just 10 months of ‘marriage’ following the former’s official affiliation to the New Crossroads LFA, should have sunk in by now.
And while this latest development is just another part of the puzzle that has fallen into place for Hope’s hierarchy, Swifts is left to lick its wounds and to rue what could have been.
Hindsight has now shown it’s quite evident that there is no place for Swifts with Hope’s new vision and direction – which is indeed a travesty.
Now, in order to grasp how Swifts was sold sweet little lies and taken for a ride, one has to backtrack to August last year when Hope’s funders were frantically running around desperately seeking affiliation to a club and union after their sudden purchase of the ABC Motsepe League status of Oriented Birds from Knysna.
Now, this all happened so quickly, it caught almost everyone by surprise, a pleasant one at that. Not to mention the euphoria and nostalgia which reverberated through the Metropole because those who know, know what a club like Swifts produced in terms of quality players like William “Pele” Anderson, Clive Carrolisen, the late Sedick Benjamin to name a few.
These football maestros from yesteryear were from the first crop of players from the Swifts who went on to play pro football – not also forgetting the role that the Tramway-born club played during the apartheid era and staying true to its Sacos-principles.
Following the initial engagements between Swifts and Hope, there was a renewed sense of optimism in Bonteheuwel while the rest of the football fraternity was looking forward to what was to come – especially with conversations like the revival of the Metropolitan LFA as well as the restoring the 106-year-old Swifts to its former glory, was in full swing.
Hope’s owner, Marlon Parker, subsequently assured that there was an understanding in place between the two entities.
“We have aligned ourselves with Sea Point Swifts and there definitely is a mutual partnership in place,” Parker told No Bones with Jones late last year. “We expect this to be a long-term project that should be beneficial for both parties,” Parker indicated back then.
Now, what does Parker’s “long term project” actually mean? Does this entail a set of jerseys, along with other apparel and equipment and that should send Swifts jumping through hoops?
Because if it is the case, then this stunt is nothing but a charity case and disrespecting a club like Swifts in this manner, is cruel and despicable.
Let’s not forget that it was Hope’s leadership who approached Swifts and not the other way around. It’s no secret that Hope was just desperate to get the deal over the line and to become compliant before the cut-off date – and Swifts willingly and duly obliged to assist without any hassle or protest.
Which brings me to another individual privy to this deal, the Swifts chairman, Wayne Weitz. Not forgetting the fact that Weitz was instrumental in getting the deal approved as he also endorsed Hope’s affiliation to the Metropolitan LFA as Weitz is also the chairman of the union in Bonteheuwel.
What is also strange is the fact that the conversations held between the Weitz and Hope’s leadership, on how mutually beneficial the partnership would be, is now completely non-existent leaving the Swifts faithful in the dark not knowing what the future holds for their beloved club.
Look, I’ve said it before and I’m going to say it again, Hope’s business moguls have the prerogative to run their business as they see fit. For e.g., when Hope unceremoniously got rid of Dylan Deane, which many felt was cruel and unjustified, perhaps so, but we shouldn’t forget that the hiring and firing of coaches and players are all part of the game and to be fair, one can certainly look past business decisions like that.
But what one cannot digest and make peace with, is how Swifts was used and abused and then discarded. One expected that Hope’s leadership would have been more honest and upfront from the beginning, then all this confusion and controversy would not have played out.
It was simple, they could have been honest and divulged their intentions from the very beginning. But to raise expectations, and give false hope to the vulnerable, was not in the spirit of the game. One can only imagine how deflated the young footballers from the Bonteheuwel area, who are in dire need of such a beacon of hope (no pun intended), must be, let alone the Swifts faithful!
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