The stadium is always packed
TS Sporting’sSi’ spokesperson,k MMthobisihbii ThThobela,bl chatsh to SSoccer LLaduma’sd PPeter Raathh aboutb hihis club’s l b’ history. He also discusses Decide Chauke, Benson Mhlongo and fans.
Peter Raath: Please tell us a bit about TS Sporting’s history with reference to the club chairman, Mr Slungu Joseph Thobela.
Mthobisi Thobela: The club was started in 2016 by two friends, Mr Slungu Joseph Thobela and Mr Singwane, who happened to be lawyers. The TS stands for Thobela/ Singwane. As time went, Singwane resigned from the club. When the chairman was a young man, he used to play soccer and loves the sport very much. The decision to form TS Sporting came as a result of our June 16 soccer tournaments, which were very popular at the time. We received huge support from the community, who not only begged us for a team, but also showed that they needed one. Our initial objective was to reach the PSL in five years. We can’t complain about being in fourth position. The difference between us and Stellenbosch FC is only two points. If the team in top position at round seven is great work even harder, who knows, TS Sporting might spring a surprise. Most of the time, I do attend training sessions but stand far away to watch. We have over 10 players from last season’s ABC Motsepe team, while some have even come all the way from the SAB League. For example, William Nkosi, who scored our winner against Ajax Cape Town, is one of them.
PR: Other ex-amateurs such as Blessing Maluleke, Decide Chauke and Jabulani Ndebele have also risen to the occasion, alongside new signings Oscarine Masuluke, Katlego Mashego and Isaac Nana.
MT: The boys are fighters, they don’t quit. The Ajax game was played on a hot sunny day with a temperature of about 34 degrees Celsius, but the team gave it their best. They fought up until the last second. I always say to people, “In life, it’s very difficult to beat someone who doesn’t want to quit.” Two matches later, Chauke scored when we beat Ubuntu Cape Town 1-0. That was a tough match, but Ajax were tougher. The fact that they used to play in the PSL made it tougher. People used to look up to Ajax, but now we’re playing against them. In fact, Decide Chauke is something else. If Bafana Bafana called him up him, he’d make a difference. You should have seen his goal during our 1-0 win over Uthongathi FC, while Ndebele, who came on as a substitute, was on fire. The team must just keep on fighting as they did in the ABC Motsepe League. Now that TS Sporting is in the professional ranks, we keep on motivating the players by telling them that this is their only chance to change and build a name for themselves. I feel that these boys are happy where they are. When a person is happy about their work, then they perform better.
PR: What has your head coach, Benson Mhlongo, brought to the club?
MT: Benson’s work ethics are on another level. That guy is a hard worker. He’s brought so much discipline to the team. We normally say when motivating the players that they must look up to a person of his calibre. You need to look up to someone who’s been there if you want to change your life and play in a higher league. It’s good that our boys enjoy working with him. Benson also has a good working relationship with our assistant coach, Mfanimpela Maseko. The pair are like a hand in a glove; they’re very close. As I said before, we still have most of last season’s players, so Maseko knows our team better than Benson, having been here for two years. We’re trying our level best to have a professional bench that also includes other guys like physiotherapist Jason Hogg and Sibusiso Zungu, the conditioning coach.
PR: With four Mpumalanga NFD clubs each trying to attract their own fan base in different parts of the province, what’s the vibe like at Kabokweni Stadium?
MT: It’s amazing – the stadium is always packed, packed, packed… Some grandstands don’t have a shade, but people stay in the sun to watch, which is very interesting. Things were quiet in Mpumalanga, but now that we have four teams in the NFD, everyone is interested in the game. TS Sporting fight harder at Kabokweni because they want to make the fans happy. Our team is originally from a rural area called Zwelisha, where there hasn’t been a professional side before. This meant that immediately after our formation, we gained a huge number of supporters. Furthermore, Sporting is even attracting other clubs’ followers as they can see that the boys are working very hard.
PR: Finally, what’s the latest development with regards to the club’s new training facilities?
MT: I can’t say how close we are to finishing, but it’s in the pipeline. When you’re building a training ground in a professional set-up, it’s important to make sure that the standards are managed in order to train properly. It would therefore be a problem if it didn’t match the stadiums that we play in. You need to know what you’re doing.
PR: Indeed! Thanks, Mthobisi.
MT: My pleasure, Peter. During our 2-0 loss to Stellenbosch, we gave it our best. Chauke took some nice powerful shots, but sometimes in football you need luck.