Mbalula good at scorn, but can he develop soccer?

Sport Minister Fikile Mbalula's derisive comments about our national soccer team - he branded Bafana Bafana ''useless'' and ''losers''- are unfortunate - even if his views are shared by tens of thousands of soccer fans.

The nation's patience with the team - which has failed to achieve anything of note since qualifying for the 2002 World Cup - was wafer thin even before its disappointing exit from the African Nations Championships at the hands of Nigeria at the weekend.

Let's face it: the tournament, with its experimental, young sides, is no match for the Africa Cup of Nations, for which we have been incapable of even qualifying of late.

But Bafana were playing Nigeria, one of Africa's soccer powerhouses, whom we have never beaten in a truly competitive tournament.

Having said that, going down 3-1 at home - even if it is to the Super Eagles - is a galling experience for a side that talked up its chances ahead of the Chan tournament.

But, in appraising their performance in the tournament, we also expect a whole lot more from our sport minister, even if he can't shake off his headline-hogging penchant for shooting from the hip.

We would have expected Mbalula to show a little support for the national team, which has been making some progress under coach Gordon Igesund, even if its shock home victory over world champions Spain in an international friendly was somewhat over-hyped. Telling people they are useless is hardly going to make them raise their game.

Instead of mouthing off in front of the cameras, we would expect Mbalula to do far more to drive the development of the game among youngsters - surely the biggest failing of our soccer establishment.

We believe that our most promising young players need to be carefully nurtured and guided, and that those who make the cut be exposed often to the cauldron of African football. That's the only way we're going to have a shot at qualifying for future world cups.