Coaches I’ve worked with: I know what I’m talking about

For me, being an assistant is as good and important as being a head coach because you’re always part of the decisionmaking process. I would be failing if I don’t mention Phil “Jones” Setshedi as one of the best coaches I have ever worked with. Since the day I walked into the Bafana Bafana dressing room, that man remained so supportive and consistent. You’d never find him in a foul mood, never. He would smile at you and always had time for everyone. As young as we were back then, we’d tease him and he’d chase us around the field, laughing, and would never take anything personal. He’s such a jolly guy who always showed amazing motivational skills whenever the chips were down. He would get you going by reminding you of who you are and where you come from. He just had a special way of turning pressure into a strong motivation. That man would come to you, put his arm around your shoulder and whisper stuff into your ear. That time, he’s got a bag of ice, rubbing it against the back of your head to cool your body down. I remember one day we were playing DRC in Togo and it was a really tough game. I scored and assisted Philemon Masinga for the second goal. Bra Phil, before the game, made it a point that he offered me a few words of encouragement as he could see what was going on around us. He told me this is the time for me to show what I’m made of because he knew what I was capable of. You know, I’ve never experienced a negative Bra Phil, never! This man was always about reminding us of the importance of representing our country and making sure that we always give our all. When you sit down and think about his wise words, they make you see things completely differently. He always made sense and his advice was always remarkable and made a lot of sense. Look, I only saw a little bit of his playing days and defenders are known to be robust players who tackle the life out of the opposition, but this guy was just a gentle giant. He’s a very calm defender and when I first worked with him, he was the same gentleman even off the field. Do people know the significance of the nickname “Mr Jones”? If people call you by that nickname, then you are a gentleman and they respect you. I’m happy to see that despite everything he’s been through, Bra Phil is still standing tall and I will always cherish the moments we shared together at Bafana Bafana and even off the field. He’s one of the people who helped me realise the talent and influence I had in the game. This man played a major role in our 1996 Afcon success and even in our preparations for the 1998 FIFA World Cup. He’s one of the unsung heroes of those successes and I will always salute and respect him for everything he’s done. These are people who made history and shaped South African football, but we don’t seem to care about them at all. Who are the first coaches to win us the Afcon and qualify us for the World Cup? Clive Barker and Phil Setshedi, but no one is saying anything about them. This should be part of our history and when you walk into SAFA House, we should be greeted by images of these guys so that we preserve their history and contribution to our game. We should be celebrating Bra Phil and Clive more because of their respective roles at Bafana Bafana. I was there and know what I’m talking about. The role played by Bra Phil in our team was way more than what his title suggested.