THE Chappies Little League was recently recognised by the world famous Guinness World Records as the world's largest football tournament!

That's remarkable. The U12 junior league comprises 6 023 teams with 138 529 participants.

And maybe because of this fantastic global distinction, the current problem East London Senior Secondary has with the recent Chappies competition here should be looked at more seriously.

Just yesterday the Dispatch highlighted the same kind of problem in schools rugby (p19) - that even has Eastern Cape Sports Department's spokesperson Mlibo Qoboshiyane involved.

A fuming EL High School U12 soccer coach Dawood Rashaad visited this office with a complaint which revolved around a semi-final match they lost. He says they noticed three 'big' players taken off before their game, and when he approached these players after their semi-final, to ask why they were 'removed' so suddenly and without explanation, one of the boys apparently told Dawood .... "because I was too old".

Dawood immediately lodged a protest. His protest was heard this week and EL High lost the protest because they did not protest at the right time - during the game.

"How could we, when this child only admitted his overage status to me AFTER the match?"

Dawood's gripe is centred on why these alleged overaged youths were allowed to play in the games leading up to their semi-final match where they were so suddenly 'removed".

"By losing this protest on a technicality (only) is the Eastern Cape Ussasa (United Schools Sport of SA) committee therefore saying it was alright for them to cheat?" Dawood is asking.

So incensed is the EL Senior Secondary school that they have mandated Dawood to appeal to the national Ussasa body.

"The school is willing to give half of the protest money (R500) and the other R500 will come from the players who are all prepared to bring R30 each to make up the protest fee," said Dawood.

In all fairness, Ace Mpombole the general secretary of Ussasa Eastern Cape, admitted they could do nothing else but rule on that 'technicality' in their constitution because no other proof was available at the time of the hearing, but that "EL Senior Secondary has all the right to appeal further".

Considering that the Eastern Cape's reputation was severely damaged by the international exposure of this overaged captain of our national junior side at the World Cup in France in 1998, and that this Chappies League carries such a proud record as the world's biggest, I hope justice prevails.

EL SOCCER ASSOCIATION

Had a meeting with the ELSoccer Association (Elsa) this week.

Had a chance to meet people I've had a crack at without ever having met them face to face.

As it turned out, the meeting with Elsa bosses Robbie Venter, Charlie Crawley, Simon Adams and Abel Iglesias was pleasant and fruitful.

Venter, Elsa president, went the extra mile to underline Elsa's commitment to football progress -despite the fact that North End FA (Nefa) "is not playing along".

According to Venter, he has incurred the wrath of many who slam him for "bending backwards" to give Nefa time to rethink their "attitude".

This column's space is too small to accommodate the arguments of either Elsa or Nefa, so I'll comment on one aspect of the meeting.

That aspect is called Safa Border, this province's mother (destructive) body for soccer.

Elsa's response when I asked for their opinion on Safa Border, was not unexpected:

Iglesias: "Amother body is as strong as its districts" (excusing Safa Border's incompetency?)

Venter: "We cannot confront Safa Border without Nefa at our side."

Iglesias has it wrong way around. It's the districts that are as strong as its mother body, not vice versa.

It was obvious that the current Elsa executive cannot or will not criticise Safa Border (the hand that feeds them?).

And that is where the snag lies.

The former Elsa president Rodney Williams (nominated by Safa Border president Luvuyo Jacobs) committed suicide when he objected to the lack of meetings and activity on the part of Safa Border .... and, of course, he was removed.

And that brings an odour to all the good things planned by the current executive committee.

Anyway, I read the impressive Draft Action Plan of Elsa, and had to smile when I came to two sentences.

(1) "Elsa should become custodians of the Easter soccer tournament with immediate effect."

(2) "Elsa shall attend Safa Border general council meetings".

Nefa is very wary of (1) since they depend on an annual internal Easter fundraiser to sustain the biggest senior and junior structure in the entire Eastern Cape.

And (2) Ican only ask: What meetings with Safa Border?
What meetings?

VODACOM LEAGUE

Don't a hear a thing from the local Vodacom office.

On the one hand there is the league to start, and on the other hand, there is the problem of Rainbow Stars from PE who sold their Vodacom League status two or three seasons ago to local club Cloud Nine, but has been demoted back to the Vodacom League - which means Stars must play in Cape Town, and not in the Eastern Cape (Ibelieve).

No word from Cloud Nine, no word from Breidbach Sporting either. Only Blackburn Rovers' Zozo Jodo, of course, did his work.

A word of advice to the officials of these guilty clubs: You are not doing your players any favours by keeping your squads out of the newspaper. You OWE them exposure, even if you are too lazy or unprofessional to market them.

CREWE v SELBORNE

I watched a semi-final of the U9 Crewe Primary v Selborne schools competition at Selborne on Tuesday, and one thing was obvious.

Genetics will always be genetics.

I noted three U9 boys belonging to three fathers who were famous in sport centuries ago.

In Crewe's side was striker Jose son of Skillie Shaw weaving his way through Selborne's defence with the obvious talent of his father.

And in the Selborne side a tiny right back popped up in perfect anticipation for the ball each and every time. He is Cody Naina whose father and former Border striker Ralton says: "Cody is a replica of my brother Gary Naina who was also a Border right back and captain." And then there was this BIG boy Ayabonga Majeka controlling the central defence for Selborne. His father is more famous for being BIG as in bodybuilding - he is none other than the famous Khaya Majeka former Bucks PRO and Border bodybuilding president.

The final was yesterday, and Jose scored the winner for Crewe which pleased coach Calvin Brown tremendously, I presumed.

Like father, like son (and uncles!).