That guy is very good

Soccer Laduma: You play in the second division of Portugal, but having now played at a level as high as the Africa Cup of Nations, how have you adapted your game to be comfortable at this level?

Sphephelo Sithole:

I think everybody knows that this competition is very difficult. All the best African players in the world come and play in this competition. Obviously for us who are not playing at the top level, the first game wasn’t easy for me and the team, but afterwards, as a collective, we adapted very well and it helped us play a very good tournament.

SL: What lessons have you taken away from this competition?

SS:

What I have taken away from this competition is to have a never-give-up attitude. I think everybody saw during Afcon that anything can happen at any time at any minute, because you saw some of the teams score two goals in 10 minutes, so this shows the level of concentration needs to be very high. So, you need to push all the way to win the tournament. If you look at the likes of Ivory Coast yesterday, everybody thought they were not going to win the tournament, but they ended up winning it.

SL: We’ve seen you play in this tournament and been really impressed with how you’ve broken down opposition attacks and bossed the midfield at times. The question now is, how are you still plying your trade in the Portuguese second division?

SS:

There are a lot of reasons behind that. Of course, everybody knows that I played in the Portuguese First Division (Liga Portugal) when I was 21 and 22, but I think things didn’t happen for me at that time because I had offers, but the club that I was playing for before wanted a lot of money. So, that blocked me to move away from the club and that was the reason I went to the Second Division. You know clubs, if they see that you are the only available player in the team, they will tend to use that against you, so that’s what happened to me as well. Because, honestly speaking, they wanted big money for me at that time and I was still under contract. Even for me to go to Tondela, I was told to go there, so then I went.

SL: Do you think a tournament like the Afcon is what you needed to revive the interest from some bigger leagues and bigger clubs?

SS:

Obviously, because I went to Tondela with the objective of getting game-time so that I would be able to play at the Afcon, which I did, and I think me going there helped me a lot. It’s a club that was playing in the top division of Portugal for many years and now they are fighting for promotion. As far as offers are concerned, I don’t know about that.

SL: Out of all the semi-finalists at the tournament, South Africa arguably had the toughest route to the final four, but for you, who was the toughest opponent that you came up against in the middle of the park during your time here in Ivory Coast?

SS: That number four from Mali, Amadou Haidara. That guy is very good, with the ball and without the ball. Everything about him is exceptional. Without the ball, he is very physical and with the ball as well, he can play. He has a good mentality because he was pushing his team to do their best at all times on the pitch because at all times they kept going.

SL: Regarding Ronwen Williams, having just won the tournament’s Golden Glove award, what does he bring to the team as a captain?

SS:

I think he has been in the national team for years, so he knows how things go here. Not just as a captain, but him as a person as well, he is a very good guy and that’s why I think he has been here in the team for so long. He brings us together at all costs and, above all that, he is a quality player and goalkeeper. Everybody in the world knows that now. So, I think he is a good guy and deserves all the recognition he is getting. I think we trust each other so much in this group, everybody knows that we are here because we are all good players, not only Ronza but everyone. Specifically for Ronza, he is a very good keeper and we know he will not allow any goals to go behind him. It’s a very good feeling

Soccer Laduma: How does it feel, personally, that your integration into the team coincided with the national side going onto this historical run at this year’s edition of the Africa Cup of Nations?

Grant Kekana: I think it’s been a very good experience. This is something you dream of, especially as a child. We grew up being told how 1996 was and how 1998 was and how good the players were, and for us to play in such a tournament and to play in it how we did after how we started, it’s a very good feeling. It’s a very good group of guys that we have her e, not only good players but good human beings. I just feel so good to be a part of it and even though we didn’t go all the way, but even receiving that bronze medal just goes to show the type of players that we have. To go against all odds and come out third in such a difficult competition is just a good feeling, so I think it’ll just give us motivation going into the second half of th season. Obviously at (Ma elodi) Sundowns, we have