Cometh the hour, cometh Phil Mogodi
Former peanuts hawker cracks it to soccer heights
Renown Soweto football administrator Phil Mogodi never really cracked it as an aspirant soccer player, but his rise in the local game’s top echelons is something of a fairytale.
The man who used to eke out a living selling peanuts at the stadiums was last month seconded as new president of one of SA Football Association’s most influential regions – Safa Johannesburg.
Mogodi, who turned 53 last month, graduated from Soweto Football Association after more than a decade at the helm to now being in charge of 11 local football associations as the regional president.
Born in GaMolepo in Limpopo, Mogodi and his family relocated to Dube, Soweto, when he was still young.
“I was a soccer player when Swallows was [based] in Dube but I never made it,” he recalled.
“I used to sell peanuts at the stadiums in the 1980s; that’s where I met people like Jomo Sono who encouraged me to ‘push’ in life.”
“It actually started with two people: Bra Stix [Morewa] and Dr Matseke who had me under their wing as an aspiring administrator. Then I looked closely how Irvin Khoza and Kaizer Motaung built their football empire,” he said.
The task of leading Safa Johannesburg is big, Mogodi conceded. “I am not there to be loved but help in the development of football in our region.
“Thabo Senong and Rulani Mokwena are just examples of coaches who came through township tournaments. As for players there are many – Siphiwe Tshabalala, Teko Modise, Yeye [Reneilwe] Letsholonyane.”
Mogodi said his plan was to ensure that facilities were accessible in his region.
“We also aim to revive school football and bring back interest from Indian communities, which in the years gone by used to produce top players such as Sulie Bhamjee.”
“We also want to establish a healthy relationship with all Johannesburg-based PSL clubs. Ultimately, we need to establish our own academy with a technical director in charge,” Mogodi added.
He added that said he has survived many challenges in his life as an administrator, including receiving death threats.
Technically, Mogodi can stand for Safa presidency at the federation’s elective conference in March but he said, if nominated, he would just be content to serve in the national executive to “learn the ropes”.