Lebese to come face-to-face with his ‘average’ former club

MAMELODI Sundowns’ midfielder George Lebese has been ignoring calls from his friends at Kaizer Chiefs ahead of their big Premiership clash at Loftus Versfeld on Tuesday. The lad from Mamelodi

practically grew up at Chiefs, making his professional debut as a 19-year-old in 2008. He cut links with the club almost a decade later before the start of this campaign. Lebese revealed that he left the Soweto giant because he was tired of being “average” after another underwhelming season with Amakhosi recording a second successive season without a trophy.

Tuesday’s match will be his first meeting with his former club since that statement and move to the reigning African champions.

“I am not going to take this match personally, it’s not about me but about the club,” Lebese said yesterday at Hyundai’s headquarters in Bedfordview, after the announcement of Sundowns signing a threeyear sponsorship deal with the South Korean company.

“It’s possible for me to put everything aside. We’ll catch up on everything else after the 90 minutes. I’ve been avoiding talking to anyone at Chiefs for the past two weeks. That’s how crucial this game is. I have been ignoring their calls. I don’t want to speak to them before the game. We’ll catch up after the game. That’s been working so far.”

Lebese was quick and emphatic in his response of whether he will celebrate should he score against his former team.

“Yes! I respect Kaizer Chiefs. They are a big brand. They taught me everything I know. But at the end of the day, it’s entertainment. It is about me and where I am at right now. I am at a happy place. So if I score, why not,” Lebese said.

The two-week recess due to the international break and MTN8 final this weekend has been helpful for Lebese, buying him time to return from injury. Lebese is still getting used to his new surroundings and demands from coach Pitso Mosimane.

“It felt kind of weird at first wearing another jersey. It had to sink in. I have to work my way up and try to catch up with the great players who are here. It’s been great so far. I can’t complain. It hasn’t sunken in really. I think that if I spend more time with the great people, great coach and wonderful technical staff here, I will get used to it.”

The Brazilians are licking their wounds after their elimination in the CAF Champions League semifinal at the hands of Moroccan giants Wydad Casablanca. That disappointment hit Lebese hard as he was looking forward to making a name for himself in the continent like his teammates did last year. Sundowns were forced to shift their focus to the domestic league and make good on Mosimane’s promise to capture the title from Bidvest Wits. They responded strongly by beating Platinum Stars 1-0 to give their league campaign a kiss of life.

“The guys didn’t take being eliminated in the Champions League too well because they had expectations to make the final,” Lebese said. “I was also disappointed not to have gone that far with the team. I was really looking forward to retaining the cup. It didn’t happen. We have another opportunity to go back there next year to fight for the club and the country.”