Michael Owen Calls Out SA’s Football System: “Passion Isn’t Enough”

Liverpool legend questions why South Africa struggles to produce global football stars

South Africans love their football; stadiums fill up, street corners double as pitches, and kids in dusty townships dribble like Bafana hopefuls. But according to Michael Owen, one of England’s most decorated strikers, something critical is missing: a system.

In a recent sit-down with IOL, the former Liverpool and Real Madrid forward didn’t mince his words. While acknowledging South Africa’s passion for the sport, Owen highlighted the country’s failure to develop and export top-tier talent to major European leagues like the Premier League. And to him, the issue is less about the players and more about the scaffolding that should be holding them up.

“The structure is simply not there”

Owen’s criticism taps into a long-standing frustration among fans and coaches back home. With only a handful of South African players currently in Europe’s top five leagues, the contrast with nations like Nigeria, Ghana, or Senegal is stark.

“Unless your structure supports it, it is very difficult,” Owen said. “Quite clearly in South Africa, the structure supports rugby players, maybe cricket. But in terms of football, the facilities, the finances, and the education: it’s simply not there.”

He stressed that elite-level footballers don’t just appear overnight. “There’s got to be a pathway,” he added. “It starts in schools. It starts young. You cannot have a 100,000-seater stadium and think that’s where it begins. That’s the end game.”

From Ballon d’Or to big-picture thinking

Owen, who won the Ballon d’Or in 2001 and played for Manchester United and Real Madrid, among others, is not just another outsider taking shots. His perspective is grounded in decades of football experience at the highest level, and he’s not wrong.

South Africa’s national football structure has long faced criticism for focusing on short-term results rather than long-term youth development. While SAFA (South African Football Association) has outlined intentions to improve grassroots systems, many argue that change has been too slow.

Image 1: Britannica

Public response: frustration meets familiarity

On local sports radio and Football Twitter, Owen’s remarks sparked a predictable mix of agreement and defensive pushback.

One fan tweeted, “Michael Owen just said what local coaches have been saying for years. Maybe now someone will listen.” Another replied, “We have the talent. What we lack is leadership and investment.”

Still, some viewed Owen’s comments as tone-deaf or lacking context. “Easy to judge from the outside,” wrote one user, “but how much does he really know about what SA footballers go through on the ground?”

A wake-up call or just another soundbite?

Regardless of how his message landed, Owen has reignited an important conversation, and perhaps that’s what matters most. With Bafana Bafana showing flashes of potential but struggling for consistency, and with no clear pipeline to Europe’s elite clubs, South African football sits at a crossroads.

For Owen, the formula is simple: invest early, build smarter, and stop treating stadiums as a starting point when the real work begins in schoolyards and communities.

As he put it, “Passion alone is not enough.”

Also read: Rassie Erasmus’ Bold Springbok Tactics Keep South Africa One Step Ahead

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Source: IOL

Featured Image: Rousing The Kop