Back in September, Hristo Stoichkov must have considered giving Henri Michel a call to gain some insight on how to exit the Mamelodi Sundowns coaching post by police escort in style.
The Frenchman was sacked after just six months in charge and it seemed like the Bulgarian legend's tenure would be even shorter after fans violently voiced their discontent following the Brazilians' 4-2 defeat to Wits, despite twice leading in the game.
With Downs now very much in the title race and proving their credentials against the likes of Kaizer Chiefs and SuperSport, the club's supporters are more than happy to have the former Barcelona man at the helm. In fact, in forums, they are quick to ridicule Orlando Pirates coach Ruud Krol and Amakhosi boss Vladimir Vermezovic, while branding Stoichkov the best in the South African business.
While we all expect fans to be fickle, we should expect a lot more from FIFA right? World football's governing body vowed to make the World Cup accessible for the host nation's citizens. In the latest sales phase, the cheapest ticket for a South African citizen is R140 for the group stage matches, which is quite a reasonable price. Not totally accessible, but reasonable.
What is just ridiculous though, is the pricing of FIFA's official World Cup products. A tiny badge of Zakumi, a rubber band bearing the name of the competition and a key-ring featuring the mascot are all individually over R100. Surely, those who cannot afford to attend a game at the showpiece should be able to buy some form of memorabilia to mark the first World Cup on African soil.
In contrast, R100 will get a Bafana Bafana supporter a 'United for Bafana' wristband, an afro wig adorned with the colours of the South African flag and Lady Gaga style glasses that also bear the national colours.
If we're expected to shell out so much simply because a product carries the 'official FIFA' trademark, then I'd rather take a walk down the road and buy a helmet made by one of our hard-working citizens, because now that is the real Makhoya...
This column first appeared in Soccer Week
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