Netshiozwi simply cannot imagine a life outside football

Former Orlando Pirates defender Abednego Netshiozwi (right) has fulfilled his long-term desire to join the technical team of a football club.

Netshiozwi is an assistant coach at Buya Msuthu FC, who campaign in the ABC Motsepe League. The team qualified for the play-offs to gain promotion into the National First Division. The former Pirates man has high hopes for the ambitious ABC Motsepe side which played their final game last Friday, but did not make it to the NFD this time around.

Netshiozwi started preparing for life after football while playing professionally by attending coaching courses, but would have to wait for two years before he was given a seat on the coach’s bench.

“I knew I wanted to coach. While I was playing I researched and found information about coaching courses and started attending them, I knew I wanted to coach after I retired so that’s what I went for, I had to sit at home after playing, but I continued going for courses and ended up with a Uefa B licence.

“Now that I am with Buya Msuthu, I would like us to gain promotion, and I believe we can move into the Absa Premiership.”

The assistant coach has not stopped studying to further his coaching career with his sights set on a Uefa A licence.

Pirates have stayed close to Netshiozwi’s heart and he is impressed with the progress the club has made. The former leftback believes Pirates have a strong squad that can compete.

When prompted for an answer on which player at Pirates reminds him of his time in the black and white kit, Netshiozwi found it difficult to pick a player because of the quality leftbacks the club have signed in the past.

“I am happy with the way they did in the season that has just ended.

“I still think the strikers need to do more, they need to work at taking chances, they need to take shots sometimes, ... if they took more shots I think Pirates would win more games. I can’t think of anything else they should improve. As far as signing players they have all the material, they have the squad, and the strikers must take their chances. I looked at the Pirates squad and defenders, Thabo Matlaba and Innocent Maela remind me of myself, the way they go forward and contribute to the game – that was me.”

Netshiozwi hopes to work in the Absa Premiership in the near future as a head coach of “one of the big sides” in topflight football.

“I have spent all my life around football, I have never thought of doing anything else but play football or do something that has to do with football, so my future plans all revolve around football, it has to be something football-related, I have not even found time to focus on other things apart from football, so it is difficult to say I will do anything outside of football.”