adminI could not believe we had lost $5 in one single match. We had spent a year to make as much as $5 from as little as 10 cents because our team was the best in the nieghbourhood. We had players who pretended to be Adam Ndlovu and Peter Ndlovu – well everyone wanted to be Peter because we all spotted his boyish English haircut. Even the guy who ended up as the goalkeeper wanted to play Peter or Adam. Usually the goalkeeper was that guy who could not dribble or the “sissy” boy whom everyone picked on.
I don’t remember anyone who wanted to play Moses Chunga maybe because he played football way before our time. Come to think of it no team wanted to have a player who claimed to be Agent “Agira” Sawu because back then there was a rumour that once Agent scored in the national team no one would score after him. So imagine if you were playing game 2 and the Agent Sawu of the team scored the first goal that would mean you would lose the game 2-1 because you would fail to score?
Our money games were called imbeji and once we started playing barefooted in most cases kicking a plastic ball, we were men at work. None of us would want to be called home for a bath. At times we played deep into the night only to get home to receive a sound beating. One would brave the beating because they knew that at least the team had won more money and at times parents would quiz us about our greasy hands. The grease would in most cases be margarine or jam. After every win, the winning team would go to the shops to buy a loaf of bread “ugqu” and share. That was the highlight of our soccer careers. I don’t know why we chose to buy bread instead of biscuits or sweets but I would like to think it was because during breakfast at home we were allowed to eat a certain number of slices of bread. Nothing more!
Growing up eKasi you either had to have a wicked dribble on the football pitch or be very good in mental mathematics or memorise the Student Companion to know which route your future would take. But most of all dedication to what one did paid off. There are some professional footballers out there who did not have as much talent as some of us but they went on to cut teeth in football. Some of them were the last to get bread in the team but hunger for success paid of. From that lesson it’s a basic rule in life — hard work and perseverance pays off.
We never had “board room” problems — even on the day I ran away with the money when we regrouped I was the hero. I could have easily lied that I had lost the money and got away $5 richer but I couldn’t because I had the interest of the team at heart. Everyone of us had a “skhundla” post. The most talented player was naturally the captain then there was the quiet guy whom we made the “manager” his role was to make sure that the plastic balls were in good condition. He would play occasionally but stuck to his main role. There was also the guy who could beat all of us “Ibhawu.” For some reason we thought the guy could even beat us up Bruce Lee style. All five of us beaten up by some big boy at once, but if I look at it now nothing like that was possible. His role in the team was that of a “big five” during play he would just clear the ball to us the strikers. No technique was required. All he had to do was close all inlets on his body and kick the ball with his big toe. His other role was to make sure that none of us would get in trouble with the other team or anyone else in the hood.
At that age our roles were cut out and our team was successful something that is lacking in big clubs such as Highlanders and Dynamos.
In 2010, during Highlanders annual general meeting club members only raised $10! That was a shock but those of us who played plastic football understood the reason behind. You cannot have a serious football club being run by people who are failing to at least save their own financial problems. You can’t have people that are floor workers being board members. What kind of investment and turnaround strategies can such people bring to the club?
I urge Highlanders faithfuls to understand that money makes the world go round and Highlanders FC should afford to at least operate along commercial lines. And yes I was right to runaway with the money I had to save my team by all means necessary!
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