A cliché as it sounds… but a picture does tell a thousand words…
And the one above depicts, in my opinion, one of respect, admiration, and friendship. It’s also pretty evident that Ricky Meyer (pictured right), the current first deputy vice president at the Mitchells Plain LFA (MPLFA), holds his mentor and outgoing leader at this union, Gilbert Kruger (pictured left), in high regard.
The 56-year-old Meyer, who has been groomed for more than two decades by Kruger, has openly admitted that he has “big boots to fill” as he positions himself to take over the reins from his entrusted leader, who has built the MPLFA into a credible football powerhouse over the last three decades.
Meyer paid tribute to Kruger leading up to the MPLFA’s elections next Sunday, where the former has been put forward for the presidency – and is unopposed.
“Yah, you are spot on, the shoes are quite big to fill, especially if you have been with him for more than 20 odd years. So yeah, no pressure,” Meyer jokingly stated to No Bones with Jones. “Needless to say, there are so many things I have learnt from him and that I can take away, you know. But the one thing that stands out is the fact that Mr Kruger has always been fair and he always has football at heart.
“He always looked at ways and means to ensure that people play football and that is one of the key points that I would like to continue. The little ones and all our footballers must have the opportunity to play the beautiful game in a fair and safe space.
“To also ensure that we leave the boardroom issue for the boardroom. You are obviously aware there were instances where clubs were out of compliance, but Mr. Kruger still found a way for clubs to continue to play, hence I’m saying you set aside the boardroom politics to ensure that our players play football and that is something I want to continue,” he added.
Meyer said he is fully aware that this position comes with a huge responsibility – having to take the good with the bad, emphasizing that it’s certainly not a popularity contest.
“Look, you can’t please everybody,” he further explained. “Should I become president next Sunday, I want to carry on the legacy built by Mr Kruger. There are obviously people who feel we should be on the right track, and I feel that we are with continuity and basically stabilizing the organisation.
“As you know, there has been a lot of rumbling the past two years within our organisation and I think that happened when Mr Kruger was out of the country, yet he still got the short end of the stick where people are blaming him for certain issues.
“We as the executive, dealt with it, but he still had to take the flak, but that is football for you. So, whether you love him or hate him, he is a very good guy, really. And not only myself, but there have been many others who have learnt a lot from him,” Meyer further stated.
Meyer also revealed that most of the core of the MPLFA’s administration is up for re-election and are unopposed; however, there are some “newbies” which excites him for the journey ahead.
“I’m really looking forward to working with Charlene Wilkinson, as she has done tremendously good work in the youth department and she is stepping up as VP. Then we have Mark Rodriques, who is stepping up as our first VP as well.
“Noel Taylor is also stepping up as a VP – so that’s the new one and obviously Saadiq (Williams), who is our treasurer currently, and he is at Safa CT. He, too, is up for re-election and is unopposed.
“Yagya Brink is our legal guy and this guy comes with all the knowledge and experience, and he too is standing for re-election as well – and that is basically the Mancom I’ve mentioned now and that should be our Mancom moving forward,” Meyer concluded.
