Mashamaite looks for his last hurrah
Veteran defender Tefu Mashamaite is probably going to be named in Eric Tinkler’s starting line-up when SuperSport United go up against TP Mazembe in Sunday’s Caf Confederation Cup final, first leg in Lubumbashi, in what is Matsatsantsa’s biggest match in their 23-year existence.
Eric Tinkler’s side are taking the match so seriously that they have been camping at the Royal Bafokeng Sports Campus in Rustenburg. Why select that isolated venue, you may ask?
Mashamaite has the answer: “They have a synthetic pitch and the conditions are a bit hot here so we are trying to get used to what we are going to face in the Congo,” he told Phakaaathi.
When Mashamaite left the country in 2015 to join Swedish side BK Hacken, he was at the peak of his career after being named the PSL Footballer-of-theYear following a stellar season at Kaizer Chiefs. However, when he joined SuperSport about a year later, Mashamaite was hampered by injury, which meant his name was down the pecking order upon his recovery.
The challenge of having to fight for a place in the team as a former league-winning captain with Kaizer Chiefs is one Mashamaite has embraced as a true professional would.
“Life is about challenges and changes. You can’t expect to always be at the top, sometimes there are situations that force you to come down and you have to then find a way to pull yourself up again.
“I won’t be arrogant and say I don’t belong here, I belong wherever. Sometimes you find yourself in a position that is not desirable. For me it has been a learning experience to find myself in a situation where I have to come off an injury and sit on the bench, it is all part of growth.”
His experience in Sweden, although very limited by his own admission, has taught Mashamaite a different side of life both on and off the pitch.
“I wanted to get away from South Africa because I had been playing in the country all my career. The opportunity came and I went out there. There were new things to learn but a game is a game and it was a great experience although I did not stay long, I still learnt much. Injuries forced me to come back, but my time there was great,” he said.
Although this may be the club’s biggest game yet, Mashamaite is reluctant to label the final as his biggest stage, insisting he will treat this as a normal 90-minutes game in order not to put any pressure on himself. He is almost certain to play as SuperSport’s other veteran central defender Morgan Gould is suspended.
“A game is a game, it is not like it is going to be 170 minutes,” said the ex-Kaizer Chiefs captain.
He continued: “I have played a lot of big games in my career so I don’t see how I should treat this as the biggest game in my career. I am not going to pressurise myself and say this is the biggest game of my life. It is 11 versus 11 and it is just about calming my nerves and hoping for the best.”
Having met Mazembe twice already, the former Bidvest Wits captain is aware of what to expect from the Congolese, much like they are aware of what SuperSport are capable of.
“We gave them pretty much an idea of who we are but this is a different ball game, it is a final, we have to be up for it. They have the experience, they have won the Champions League and they are the defending (Confederation Cup) champions so they will want to give us a run for our money.”