Dreams of soccer stardom come true
THREE passion-fuelled Eastern Cape footballers will be looking to make their mark in the Nedbank Ke Yona 18-man squad to take on SuperSport United next month.
A team search that started with 13 000 young hopefuls from all over the country has eventually been whittled down.
Tears of joy flowed at Nedbank’s headquarters on Thursday when Zanoxolo Mduli, 23, and Bongani Sam, 20, (both from Motherwell) and Makhosandile Plaatjie (Alice), 23, made their way to join the team on the podium.
The 18 youngsters will be hoping to make a name for themselves with the 16 Premier Soccer League teams they have been randomly assigned to.
They will undergo a month-long assessment with the teams in the hope of securing a sought-after contract that could launch their professional careers.
Sam, who plays left back, will join Bloemfontein Celtic, while striker Plaatjie will be joining Golden Arrows. Mduli, who is also striker, will be part of the Platinum Stars set-up.
“I am really excited to be part of the Ke Yona team,” Sam said.
“I have worked really hard to get to where I am and cannot wait to showcase what I am made of.
“I want to add value to the Bloemfontein Celtic team because their style of attacking football is aligned with mine.
“I want to go there and make my mark and represent the Eastern Cape in the best way possible.
“This a big deal for me and the community I come from.”
Plaatjie said: “I want to pave the way for youngsters who aspire to follow in my footsteps.
“We have become role models and it is important that we bring inspiration and keep the Eastern Cape flag flying high.”
Last week’s team announcement was a culmination of months of talent scouting, which saw the experienced coaching quartet of Shakes Mashaba, Khabo Zondo, Owen Da Gama and Mike Mangena meet thousands of players who were put through gruelling training sessions and intense boot-camps in an attempt to unearth a formidable team.
Former Bafana Bafana head coach Shakes Mashaba said: “These youngsters need to realise that being selected for this team is not a permanent thing.
“They need to start showing the same hunger and eagerness they showed in the trials.”
The Ke Yona team will take on this year’s Nedbank Cup champions SuperSport United on September 3 at a venue to be confirmed.