Benza vows to play on

Tadious Manyepo Sports Reporter
AGELESS Herentals forward Innocent Benza says he will only hang up his boots when his feet can no longer carry him.

The 48-year-old, who made his Premiership debut two years ago, said he was on a mission to show the country that age is just a number,

“I am not going to drop my dreams just because people have negative thoughts about me,’’ he said.

“I am one man who has learnt to turn negatives into positives.

“That’s part of life, even outside football.

“In society, people will rebuke others even if they are doing something good and, so, I don’t normally pay attention to negative things because I might risk losing focus.

“You cannot play football when you don’t have the passion and the desire. So, basically, I have the determination to continue pushing on.’’

The businessman, who is also the Herentals president, has three goals since making his bow in the top-flight league.

“When you find yourself creating and scoring goals then it means, somehow, you are doing the right thing,’’ he said.

“The general understanding I have, with my young teammates, is out of this world and it plays a big part in me declaring that I will be playing football as long as my feet can still carry my body.”

Benza said his team took advantage of the Covid-19 break to concentrate on the theoretical aspects of the game via digital means.

“This period gave us a chance, as a team, to reflect on ourselves and look at the way we have been doing things,’’ he said.

“We have been having a lot of theoretical lessons, via digital platforms, and the ground we have covered is huge.

“As Herentals Football Club, our eyes are still fixated on winning the Premiership title and, with the team that we have in our ranks, we have every reason to believe that the target is achievable.

“If we cannot win the league then we should bag the premier knockout trophy and be able to represent the country in Africa.

“But, as a club, our target is to win the league title. My record, as the oldest player to ever grace the Premiership having made my debut as a 46-year old player, should be spiced by winning the league title.

“At the moment, the players are working individually at home with the help of our coaches.

“The coaches aren’t sending players only programs to follow but we are conducting virtual lessons and I believe the players cannot wait for the start of the new term.’’