Michael Morton of Cape Town Spurs during the DStv Premiership match between Sekhukhune United and Cape Town Spurs at the Peter Mokaba Stadium on April 20, 2024 in Polokwane, South Africa.
Photo by Philippe Maeta/Gallo Images
Cape Town Spurs midfielder Michael Morton has joined the debate on why there aren’t many white players in the professional ranks of South African football.
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What is the story?
One of the few white South African players in the DStv Premiership, Michael Morton, has shared his views on the ever-growing topic of white talent representation in the professional South African football scene.
Morton responded to a debate on the subject on Metro FM’s Sports Night Amplified with Andile Ncube, mentioning that predominantly white high schools don’t take football as seriously.
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Let’s take a closer look at what Morton had to say…
Michael Morton on white SA footballers
Veteran Cape Town Spurs midfielder Michael Morton has explained why more white South African footballers are not rising through the ranks and turning professional.
Morton has enjoyed a journeyman career since joining Orlando Pirates, as he has played for; Maritzburg United, SuperSport United, AmaZulu, Cape Umoya United and All Stars.
“Why aren’t we producing more white footballers in South Africa? I don’t think the problem is when guys get to 17/18, because with these players, once they get to that stage, they’re going to already the next level I think (the problem) arises more at the age of 13/14 when they make the jump to high school.
“The old traditional white Model C schools don’t take football very seriously and I think we’re losing a lot of talented footballers in that space – where they have to choose between cricket, rugby and a whole bunch of other sports and football is not really taken seriously,” says Morton, who believes that even community football clubs are not enough to ensure that white players stay involved in the game outside of school.
“I think the community-run clubs are also struggling financially and the standard is not that good. I think we are losing a lot of talented footballers in a pivotal time. This is my personal experience and I have played with a lot of talented guys who, when they made the jump to high school, they didn’t continue playing football,” Morton added.
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Watch below:
In the comments section of his IG post, Morton added: “Can you imagine if our Model C schools placed as much importance on football as they do on cricket and rugby, the kind of treadmill we would have for producing professional footballers.
“The way I see it is that there is no clear path for young people to become professional footballers, apart from being scouted at a very young age at one of the top academies.”
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