“Football is a simple game made complicated by people who should know better”.
Those are the words of the great Bill Shankly, a Scotsman who managed Liverpool and basically rebuilt them and laid the foundation for the success that would follow from the 1960s to date.
I found myself thinking about this quote the past weekend, after waking up to a tweet posted by Orlando Pirates that said: “Being a champion is not just a punchline reserved for those who won titles. It is a state of mind and above all a responsibility. Leaving a room in this state when you’re a guest in someone’s house says a lot about one’s mentality and responsibility as a champion.”
The tweet was directed at Tunisian outfit Esperance, the current CAF Champions League champions, who had left what looked like paper and their water bottles in the changing room at Orlando Stadium.
The two sides played to a 0-0 draw in a tense Champions League group match on Saturday night.
I thought I was dreaming, so I went back to sleep and when I woke up a few hours later, the tweet had become a full-on discussion among tweeps.
Some were obviously disgusted and suggested it was disrespectful to leave the changing room like that.
Die Esperance mense have a history of using tricks to get their way on the field ouens and that came out in some of the tweets, which suggested that they lack humility and never play fair.
Some even pointed out how Japan left the dressing room after losing the Asian Cup Final against Qatar.
The Samurai Blue left a thank you note written in Japanese, English and Arabic. Very nice!
You know how it is with football people, we will never agree even if things are black and white.
There were those who thought the Buccaneers were making a big deal out of nothing and that they were just sour that they did not win the match, despite dominating.
I went back to check for the tweet on the Pirates account and it had been deleted but I feel like the damage had already been done.
There is so much tension brewing within CAF between the north African member countries, namely Algeria, Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia; the previous regime made up of predominantly west African member nations and the southern African Cosafa group who currently hold the power.
It showed when CAF gathered in Senegal at the beginning of the year, where the replacement hosts of the 2019 Afcon tournament were to be named.
Egypt beat South Africa and they will replace Cameroon as hosts later this year.
It has spilled over on to the pitch. Just the other week Mamelodi Sundowns were involved in a heated CAF Champions League against Wydad Casablanca, where the referee had to stop the match numerous times as tensions threatened to boil over.
It was rather irresponsible of Pirates to tweet something like that immediately after a crucial match like that.
Also, whether they clean the changing room or not, it doesn’t change the score my broer!