POLITICS

How are the race quotas for Bafana Bafana progressing? - Anton Alberts

FF Plus MP says Minister Fikile Mbalula promised in April to increase white representation in the national football team

FF Plus demands that merit is the only criteria in sport and that the sport minister should uphold his undertaking that there has to be more white people in soccer teams

The FF Plus believes that merit and not quotas should be the only criteria in sport (and in the workplace), Adv. Anton Alberts, the FF Plus' parliamentary spokesperson on Sport says (see Cape Times report).

Adv. Alberts says a head count based on race only leads to more racism as minorities react negatively to the unfair measures of the state.

"We reject the quota system of the sport minister, Fikile Mbalula and the South African Rugby Union (SARU), which of course was inspired and is being driven by the ANC government and Mbalula which believe absolutely in quotas, given the plan of SARU which has been leaked now.

"During a discussion which the FF Plus had with Mbalula in April of this year regarding quotas, he acknowledged that Bafana Bafana did not have enough white players and that this will be worked on. To date we have not heard a word from his side about the issue.

"Even though we believe quotas are wrong, the FF Plus will keep the minister to his undertaking that there will have to be more white representation in our national soccer team and soccer in general, until the total hold that black people have on that sport is broken.

"Hopefully it will make the minister see that certain people perform in certain sport and that artificial interference in that sport will only lead to an increase in intolerance between different race groups," Adv. Alberts said.

Statement issued by Adv. Anton Alberts, FF Plus parliamentary spokesperson: Sport, September 8 2014

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