Surprise Moriri
The Mamelodi Sundowns legend insists he’s still got it
KICKOFF: You’ve spent over a decade at Mamelodi Sundowns before joining Highlands Park. Tell us, how did the decision to join Highlands Park come about?
SURPRISE MORIRI: To be honest it was not an easy decision. I had been with Sundowns for quite some time and I was enjoying myself there. Sundowns is home and it’s the team that built my career. It will always be home. But one had to make a decision where I sat down with the management and the coach [Pitso Mosimane] and we discussed the whole issue. I was the one who said: “Maybe it will be best for me to go to another team and play.” The chances of me playing at Sundowns were very slim, as the coach said. Last season I didn’t feature much, so I thought maybe it would be best for me to go somewhere else and play, which I think was a good decision.
And what did coach Pitso Mosimane say when you broke the news?
The bottom line is that I wanted to play and I feel like I can still play. The coach was honest and said: “Okay, the team has done well and you didn’t play too many games [last season] and this season the chances of you playing are also very slim.”
Mosimane said you “ran his dressing room” and hopes that you can return to Chloorkop in another capacity in the future ...
Obviously it shows acknowledgment from the coach. He can see that despite me not playing, I contributed to the team somewhere, somehow. I just felt at home at Sundowns, whether I was playing or not. I couldn’t see any reason to fight with the coach for not playing me because we had a couple of youngsters who needed leadership and guidance. And if I started fighting with the coach for not playing, it would set a bad example, so I thought maybe I can play another role that could help the team going forward. I thought being a leader in the dressing room and making sure that the spirit of the team is positive would be the next appropriate step.
How does it feel to move to Highlands Park?
It’s a good feeling to be playing and to be on the pitch again. At Highlands Park they welcomed me warmly. The first day training was good. I knew a couple of players from Sundowns and some from other teams, so it was not that difficult. My first day went well under Allan Freese, who was the then head coach. I knew Allan from before because we used to meet when he was still coaching Platinum Stars and Highlands Park, so it was not a strange place to be. It was another day in another environment.
How long is your deal with the team?
My contract is for one season with an option [to renew], but it depends on me and the team.
How does it feel to be on the list of players including Moeneeb Josephs, Dillon Sheppard, Solomon Mathe and Henrico Botes who are over 35 and still playing in the PSL?
[Laughs] It’s one of those things that makes you realise that sometimes in football we take this age thing very seriously. If you’re doing well they’ll say you are too experienced and they don’t give you the credit you deserve. And if you are not doing well they’ll say he is finished and it’s time for him to retire. So those are some of the things that you face when you get to that age. But for me it feels good and it shows that at my age you still have to take care of yourself and compete at the highest level, which takes a lot of discipline and hard work.
So it’s safe to say we will see Moriri playing for another 4-to-5 years?
“I JUST FELT AT HOME AT SUNDOWNS.” (Right) Moriri in his new strip at Highlands Park.
(Bottom) Moriri is now re-united with former Sundowns coach Gordon Igesund. “IT’S GREAT TO WORK UNDER GORDON.”
That I will not say my brother! At some point you have to listen to your body, what the body is saying and what the legs are saying.
Mamelodi Sundowns versus Highlands Park [27 November 2016]: You came in as a substitute for Collins Mbesuma to face your former team. Take us through the emotions you went through …
That was an emotional moment. That game came too early, but it was business as usual. I had to acknowledge the fact that I was playing for another team, which expects me to give 100 percent. But unfortunately the result didn’t go our way as we lost the game 5-0, which was very disappointing.
Despite losing 5-0, you got a standing ovation at Loftus Versfeld Stadium from the Sundowns fans ...
It was an emotional moment for Sundowns as a whole; management, supporters and the president [Patrice Motsepe] himself. We’ve got a close relationship, so to be on the other side of the dressing room and playing at Loftus and wearing a different jersey from the Sundowns jersey was very strange.
And the relationship between you and your former team-mates?
Since I left Sundowns the communication between me and the guys is a continuous one. It’s not a relationship that can be broken by me joining Highlands Park. It was nice seeing some of the guys despite wearing different colours. And it also felt good saying it personally that they’ve made us proud by winning the CAF Champions League.
How did it feel to see Sundowns lift the Champions League without you?
It was a good feeling. The most important thing that was going through my mind was that I could see what was going through the president’s mind: this was a dream that he had more than a decade ago, that one day he wants to see Sundowns being the best team on the continent. And for the team to achieve that was great! It was emotional because I understood what was going through those players’ minds.
How is it to now work under new coach Gordon Igesund?
It’s great to work under coach Gordon.
He is a coach that’s driven by results and wants to make sure he wins. He is ambitious and his record speaks for itself. I think he is the coach who has won the most league titles with different teams, so that shows the pedigree that he has.
You’ve played as a second striker or behind the striker and sometimes on the right side of midfield. Which position do you prefer?
I just enjoy being on the pitch. Position-wise, if it is an attacking one, then it is okay for me.
What is next for Surprise Moriri after football?
I’ve been attending coaching courses. The last coaching course I attended was for the SAFA B Licence, which we are still awaiting the results for. And the reason why I did the coaching courses is that I just want to give myself options because you never know in football. One thing I know for sure is I want to give back what I’ve learnt from all my coaches to the youngsters.