Wags, Swags and SA soccer

Smash a Bently and stumble around drunk for crying out loud!

England coach Fabio Capello recently banned the wags entourage from travelling with the players to games abroad. His reasoning was that players were been distracted by the circus that tends to accompany the likes of Posh, Cole and the rest.

I am not sure why but thankfully we seem to escape the WAGS scenario with Bafana Bafana and other sports here. Yes their wives and girlfriends travel with the team I am sure. But the media hype that surrounds the comings and goings of UK players and their shopaholic-swipe happy other halves, seems to have largely escaped the press clippings in SA when it comes to our own.

Maybe it’s because (a) Bafana have not won anything significant for a while or (b) we just don’t care too much for the circus.

Let’s analyze the two.

Firstly by comparison the England Team has won nothing of late either worth texting home about either. Their trophy cabinet currently looks like a Zimbabwe Pick ‘n Pay, so it cannot be the lack of silverware that lets the SWags (South African Wags) fly below the radar here at home. Although many don’t realize, SA soccer stars in top teams make a pretty penny and are not shy about showing it off. Remember the majority of SA’s finest are not from privileged backgrounds and very often remain living in their communities, where they are quite rightly unadulterated heroes.

Given that you are getting anywhere from 25k through to 100k a month plus bonuses, you are suddenly thrust into the world of cash, hangers-on and wanting to have some fun. So where are the pics of our guys stumbling out of clubs? Trashing a Bentley or two and then throwing a punch at a pap?

I will tell you. They don’t exist. SA’s culture of paparazzi and celebrity adoration and stalking is practically non-existent. We are far more concerned with Aaron Mokoena’s (when home) form, than we are his girlfriend/wife’s shopping habits. SA cricketers are dating or married to some of the most sexiest women alive but we rarely concern ourselves with their fashion sense and hair-do’s.

SA is a nation that just does not do local celebrity, sport or otherwise. Why is it when we see Posh and Becks in Heat we drool and ah, but when we see Lee Anne Liebenberg shopping at LV we mock? Both pictures were more than likely planted by publicists. Both shots were there to push the celeb status of the person and managed very carefully.

I have to go with (B). We just don’t care for the local circus. It’s the same reason we tend to support glory clubs in the UK – the reason Real, Man United and Chelsea have some of the most lucrative merchandise businesses in the world. We look beyond our borders for entertainment and gloss – don’t get me wrong. We support our teams to the death here but we aren’t interested in the side shows.

It would seem that it’s a good thing for SA. International gloss and gossip is fine but when it comes too actually what happens on the pitch we are not blinded by the flashbulbs.

Now if we could just start winning we would have an unbeatable pres clipping.