A group of talented South African footballers will have to wait a bit longer before travelling to the United Kingdom to showcase their kills due to the coronavirus pandemic. The aspiring footballers are part of the Durban-based Delron Buckley Football Academy. The initiative is done in conjunction with the Manchester United’s Class of 92 consisting of United legends Ryan Giggs, David Beckham and Paul Scholes – just to name a few.
The former Bafana Bafana forward Delron Buckley remains one of the best South African players to play in Europe. The 42-year-old midfielder is giving back to the community through his football academy. Buckley played for some well-known teams in Germany, like Borussia Dortmund, VFL Bochum, and Arminia Bielefeld.
He played 73 times for Bafana Bafana, scoring 10 goals for the senior national team. Buckley says the trip to Manchester will only happen in September, if international travel is allowed in four months time.
“Of course when this coronavirus came along and then things were cancelled and now we’ve been in contact with the class of 92 and also sports tour Europe back and forth and they want us to bring the kids in September, and I am also praying that at that time we will be able to fly to the UK to fulfill this tour and the dream of these kids,” says Buckley.
After spending a long time playing overseas – Buckley says he understands and teaches his players what it takes to succeed in Europe.
“The objective of my soccer academy is to give local kids the tool and the training to become sportsman and pursue their passion, to teach them what I have been taught overseas to mentally prepare them when they go as young development players to Europe they don’t get daunting about the situation of going to another country.”
He has been kept busy in recent weeks in KwaZulu-Natal distributing food parcels and the personal protective equipment in local communities in an attempt to fight the spread of the coronavirus.
“If I have to drive to Isipingo or Johannesburg to do this drive I’m the first one in line to do this because I like to help people, I know what is it like to be in difficult times like now people cannot afford to buy food, they can’t afford to pay their lights, they can’t afford to pay their bonds and so on,” adds Buckley.
Buckley, who is now working as a television football analyst, says he will only support the return of the ABSA Premiership action if it is only safe to do so.
“The most important thing is people’s safety, people’s health, you know until we have clarification that it’s okay to carry on with the league by government then let it be. But at the moment it’s very important that we fight this virus and anything out of the circle it’s not interesting,” says Buckley.
The Premier Soccer League board of governors took the decision to suspend the league programme in mid-March and it is still uncertain if the season will resume before the June 30 cut-off date.
