Mothibi asks the fans to get off Makgopa’s back

Former Orlando Pirates striker James Mothibi believes Bafana Bafana and Bucs striker Evidence Makgopa (right) is a threat to many teams and he doesn’t know why he keeps on being criticised.

Makgopa, who is with Bafana at the Caf Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) in the Ivory Coast, has been getting a lot of criticism from fans in social media, with many saying that he doesn’t deserve to be part of the squad.

The former Baroka FC striker has started the first three games for the South African national team, but hasn’t been able to score.

Mothibi, however, who was a lethal goal-poacher during his playing days, says Makgopa makes a valuable contribution in the Bafana squad and people must start supporting him.

“I think it’s very unfair for people to criticise him the way they do. We know football fans love the game and they want to see positive results. (But) it’s not nice when they start blaming one player when he doesn’t perform the way they want.

“Yes, he might have not scored in the games, but there is a lot that he does for the team,” said the Bucs legend.

“Even at Pirates, you must see that he is always making positive contributions for the team. He is there in the build-ups when the team is on attack and defenders don’t relax. He is an important player to a team and we must appreciate his efforts.”

Mothibi, currently running a developmental team in the Northern Cape called James Mothibi Sports Development, added that he is happy with the youth structures at Pirates.

“There are a lot of good and young players that are coming up from the development teams.

“For example, you look at that young man Ratomo (Relebohile Mofokeng), he is a quality player and you can tell that he is being developed by good coaches.”