1 Kings 3:16-28- Tells
of a story in which two women came to King Solomon with a dispute on a dispute as
to real mother of a child. One of the women claimed that the other had switched
her baby for a dead one. This of course was ferociously disputed by the other
woman. In an attempt to settle the dispute between the two, King Solomon called
for his sword, and instructed that the child be cut in half.
The resolution was objected to
by one of the women, to the extent she conceded that the child maybe given him
to the other. The other woman shouted, “Go ahead and cut him in half. Then
neither of us will have the baby.”
In making an analogy with this particular biblical story, in no way am I
suggesting the Efstathious brothers had no rightful claim to Ajax Cape Town, as
they too were the legitimate shareholders of the club. The extraction from the
said story is the will to sacrifice and let go of something that one loves, so
as to preserve its existence. Considering that the Comitis had been part of
Ajax Cape Town since inception in a way one could see it as their “baby” of
some sort, having being part of the club since its formative stages and
committed to its development in all those years.
For the past year, we’ve been
witness countless rows and public spats between the Efstathious and the
Comitis’. Sadly that has consequently indirectly reflected in the performance
of the team, with Ajax Cape Town flirting with relegation for the most part of
the 2012/13 season. Barring for the equally inept management from Chippa United
and Black Leopards, Ajax could easily have found themselves plying its trade in
the second tire of South African football.
As George Comitis puts it, one
of the families had to go, as the club was stumbling along and Cape Town having
lost three PSL teams in the last three years Ajax was almost the fourth in the
recently concluded season. Judging from their (Comitis) sentiments this appears
to have been a case of where they cared so much about the club that they were
willing to let it go, than be part of its demise.
For such a stance the Comitis
must be commended in their step to avoid the stock phrase, “If I can't
have you, then no one will!" We have seen in the past,
especially in Africa where leaders have shown marked reluctance
to let go of power no matter what the circumstances dictate. By their
decision, the Comitis have ensured that football is the winner.
I am in no position to dwell or
even comment about the cause of the dissolution of the Efstathious-Comitis
business association. For that matter, there is very little I even know of the
Efstathious football-wise. As that may be the case it can only be hoped that
they can take the club to greater heights.
Ajax Cape Town’s administration
and the running of its academy has for so long embodied everything that South
African football should be and can be. It would have been a real shame if ever
such an institution were to be dissolved because of boardroom squabbles.
The Western Cape needs Ajax
Cape Town and South African football needs Ajax Cape Town
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