Mokoena is no ‘inkomo’

Former Bafana Bafana captain Aaron “Mbazo” Mokoena (above) says those who call him “inkomo” must look at his achievements in football before speaking about him.

Inkomo (which is IsiZulu for cow) is local football slang and a demeaning word used to describe players who are not good enough.

Mokoena, who holds the record for the most appearances for Bafana with 107 caps, said he didn’t pay too much attention to the critics who felt he wasn’t good enough because he went on to achieve what some could only dream of.

“I don’t play anymore so I don’t worry about whether I will be called up for the national team or not and such things. Those who call me a cow should ask themselves how I became such a success. I played in the Olympics in Sydney, I played for Bayer Leverkusen (in Germany), I played for Ajax Amsterdam (in Netherlands), KRC Genk (in Belgium), Blackburn Rovers (in England) and became the captain at Portsmouth (also in England). I played 107 games for Bafana and played the final of the FA Cup,” Mokoena said, as quoted by Isolezwe this week.

Mokoena said if he had not been good enough, all the coaches in these teams would not have given him the chances he was afforded.

“What did all these coaches see? I played under different coaches which include Carlos Alberto Parreira, Mark Hughes and Jomo Sono. But I understand that here in South Africa you have to have played for Kaizer Chiefs, Orlando Pirates or Mamelodi Sundowns for you to be liked. But some of us came from Jomo Cosmos. Dean Furman also faced a similar situation because he didn’t play for these teams. He led Bafana but was called a cow too.

“Those who call me a cow must look at my CV first,” said 39-year-old Mokoena who was captain when Bafana played in the 2010 Fifa World Cup on home soil.