Youth coach remembers raw talent he spotted
GODFREY Mosoetsa, the man who discovered Thandani Ntshumayelo for SuperSport United in 2004, is still trying to come to terms with the news that his protege has been banned from football.
Mosoetsa, who is the club’s head of development, told Sowetan he would reach out to the disgraced midfielder to help him pick up the pieces. But he needs to hear his side of the story first.
“It is still hard for me to believe or not believe especially for someone like me who knows Bibo’s [Ntshumayelo’s nickname] humble family background. Is this for real? I’m still asking myself,” Mosoetsa said.
He recalled how Ntshumayelo, then 14 years old, and his father had travelled from their Heilbron home town for mass trials in Bethlehem, and how he was the only player to impress among the 800-odd hopefuls.
“We were conducting trials in Bethlehem in late 2004 when Bibo became the only player we selected from the whole group.
“He was accompanied by his father and they had travelled [135km] to Bethlehem. We were impressed by his physique; stocky but strong in the tackle and he took shots at goal randomly.
“We were on the same page with the father from the onset on what he wished for his son. We took over Bibo and schooled him until he matriculated at Rosina Sedibane High [a sports school based in Pretoria]. We never had problems with our players because we raised them in a good way even when our academy was still in Auckland Park.”
Mosoetsa believes Ntshumayelo can still turn his life around in the four years he would be out of the game.
“He can go back to school in the meantime. I still don’t believe his football career is over but is there anyone who is prepared to give him a chance?”