Teko set for emotional reunion with Jingles
THE CURSE of Teko Modise, the former Mamelodi Sundowns captain’s book written by Nikolaos Kirkinis, shows a man who craved approval with the same vigour that pushed him to be one of the best players in South Africa.
But SA almost didn’t see Modise’s talent. His father, Steven Sekgaila, wanted Modise to prioritise school ahead of football, and failure to do that resulted in the young “Navigator” getting a beating. Modise grew up supporting Kaizer Chiefs, just like his father. The two bonded over football, the book reveals, until Sekgaila kicked him out which saw Modise live on the streets before his mother took him in. Modise’s relationship with his father shaped how he interacted with authoritative father figures in his life – from his business manager Jazzman Mahlakgane to Pitso Mosimane, who gave him his big break in top-flight football at SuperSport United.
The 34-year-old respects these figures and the roles they played in him becoming the household name he is today. He craved approval from them, doing everything he could to please them but when they put their feet down, raised their voice or didn’t see eye to eye with him, their relationships took a strain as it reminded him of his father who ruled his home like a dictator.
Modise, with his new team Cape Town City, is set for an emotional reunion with Mosimane tonight in the Citizens’ clash with the Brazilians at Loftus (7.30pm kickoff ). This will be the first time Modise faces Mosimane since his book revealed that the two were not on speaking terms for two years at Sundowns.
“We never spoke,” Modise says in the book. “The only time we spoke was to greet each other. This is a person I saw every day of my life. You see your coach more than you see your kids, and we never had any kind of conversation. I could have a conversation with anyone in the team but him. There is a tension between Pitso and me that had been around for years and I will never fully understand it.”
Mosimane refused to be drawn into the saga.
“Let’s give Teko a break. He wrote a book. Let him sell the book,” Mosimane said. “Let’s not spoil his book. Let’s be nice… He’s done well for the club. Let Teko be on the honeymoon with his book.”
Mosimane promised that he’ll shake Modise’s hand tonight. The book also revealed the respect Modise has for Mosimane and how he helped him grow as a player. The two are similar. They both had to defy the odds and naysayers to be the best in SA and the continent.
“Pitso is crazy,” Modise said in an interview with him in 2014 after he and “Jingles” finally won the league. “He is crazy about his job. He knows all the players in the PSL. His life is football. He wants everybody to work as hard as him. When you don’t, he gets pissed off. The understanding between me and Pitso is fuelled by the passion we have for the game. He understands how passionate I am. He doesn’t have to tell me to train well, I always train well. He doesn’t have to tell me what he wants from me in a match, I automatically know what he wants. That’s why we click. That’s why when we have issues, everyone can see that these two have issues because of the passion. It’s nothing personal, it’s because of the passion we have for the game.” CHAD LE CLOS added the 200m butterfly and 100m freestyle to the list of events he has qualified for the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia in April next year. The Olympic gold medallist already met the qualifying mark in the 200m freestyle at the KwaZulu-Natal Aquatics Premier Championships at the Kings Park Aquatics Centre on Sunday to secure his place in his third Commonwealth Games. He raced to victory in the 200m butterfly final in a modest one minute, 58.01 seconds with Eben Vorster following behind him in a time of 1:59.88 to also add his name to the list of qualifiers yesterday. Le Clos brought the night to a close by winning the 100m freestyle where he was the only swimmer to dip below 50 seconds in the blue-riband event. He dragged both Calvyn Justus and London 2012 Olympian Leith Shankland below the qualifying mark of 50.64secs, winning in a time of 49.74s. Justus, who has already set a qualifying time in the 100m backstroke on Saturday followed in second place with a time of 50.35. Shankland could make his return to international swimming for the first time since the 2014 Commonwealth Games and World Short-Course Championships if he is selected. He dipped below the qualifying mark twice yesterday, first during the morning session, before touching third in the evening’s final with a time of 50.51. Three more swimmers added their names to the list of competitors who have posted qualifying times for the Games over the last three days in Durban. Podium finishers, spearheaded by World Student Games silver medallist Tatjana Schoenmaker, Kaylene Corbett and Emily Visagie each met the qualifying mark in the women’s 200m breaststroke. - Ockert de Villiers ENGLAND captain Joe Root refused to blame his senior players for the tourists’ stunning Ashes defeat, but lamented his own failures to lead the way with the bat against Australia.
Four years after Alastair Cook’s side surrendered the Ashes at the Waca in Perth with two matches to spare, Root’s team handed back the urn just as meekly at the same venue yesterday with an innings and 41-run hiding before tea on day five. They will head to the 26 December Melbourne Test 3-0 behind in the series and with a number of questions over the futures of opener Cook and paceman Stuart Broad.
All-rounder Moeen Ali is also under the microscope after a forgettable campaign with bat and ball.
Former skipper Cook has scored only 83 runs in the series at an average of 13.83, comfortably the worst of England’s specialist batsmen. England’s most prolific Test runscorer was playing his 150th Test at the Waca.
Veteran seamer Broad went wicketless for 142 runs as Australia racked up a mammoth 662/9 declared, his worst Test bowling figures. For his part, Moeen has managed only three wickets for the series at 105.33 apiece.
Root, appointed captain only in February, backed Broad and Cook to still be playing for England in 12 months’ time. “I’d like to think so,” he said. “They’ve got huge amounts of experience and they do offer a lot to the group and their performances over a long period of time speak for themselves.
“They’ve been in situations where things haven’t gone for them before and that’s why they’ve played so many games.
“It’s important we don’t panic and make hasty decisions after three games.”
Root’s first Ashes series in charge has felt cursed from the start, with the suspension of match-winning all-rounder Ben Stokes for an alleged assault overshadowing the tour.
The skipper has battled other offfield distractions and accusations of a problem drinking culture in the England camp. Root turned the focus on his own failures with the bat, having been dismissed for 20 and 14 in Perth when his team desperately needed a big captain’s knock.
“Probably the thing that’s been my biggest detriment is trying too hard,” said Root, who is averaging 29.33 for the series. – Reuters