TRIBUTE TO THE GODFATHER

Former Kaizer Chiefs, Orlando Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns coach Mario Tuani passed away at the age of 89 in his home country of Chile. The legends of South African football pay tribute to the man nicknamed “The Godfather”.

Legend has it that in the 1970s, on the eve of a crucial match between Kaizer Chiefs and Highlands Park, Amakhosi defender Simon “Bull” Lehoko suffered an injury which almost ruled him out of the match. Lehoko was the rock in the heart of the Chiefs defence and his coach Mario Tuani was concerned about the possible absence of his star player, and so had to conjure up a plan. He sent his goalkeeper Joseph “Banks” Setlhodi to the nearest store to go and buy two Disprin tablets. Setlhodi did as he was told, came back with the two tablets and gave them to his coach. Tuani ripped them out of the package before passing them to his injured defender. “Bull, there you go. I got these pills from one of the best German doctors. The doctor is truly the best and if you drink these tablets you will be able to play tomorrow with no injures.” Lehoko did as he was told and gulped the Disprins down his throat. The following day against Highlands Park he delivered one of his best performances in the gold and black jersey of Kaizer Chiefs. “That was the genius of Mario Tuani,” recalls Setlhodi, laughing hysterically. “He was a psychologist and a motivator. During those days, we knew very little about coaching. Tuani was one of the few foreign coaches to work in this country. Honestly, we didn’t regard them as coaches because we had 11 coaches on the field and some on the bench. We used to call them motivators and Mario was good at that. They were people who could make us rise to the occasion. As a person, Mario was one of the kindest coaches to work with. He was a true gentleman and a great philosopher.” Another former Kaizer Chiefs player Lucky Stylianou recalls Tuani’s sense of humour as one of the best. “He had a wonderful sense of humour, but didn’t like players interrupting him at half-time while he was talking,” Stylianou

says. “One day, one player started talking in the middle of his team talk and he kept quiet. When that player was finished talking, Mario looked at him and said: “Is it possible to eat a banana under water?” The player replied, “No”. Mario said, “Then why are you talking while I’m busy talking?” He was outstanding like that. He believed in sending a thief to catch a thief, and told players to be careful when they do things so that referees didn’t see. He used to make us laugh all the time.” Tuani was born in Santiago, Chile and started his coaching career in his home town before moving to Greece, a country he travelled to as a young salesman from Chile. After leaving Greece in the 1960’s, he joined Hellenic in Cape Town and brought with him two Brazilians, Walter da Silva and Jorge Santoro, who were already big names in Brazil. Tuani later took the duo to Powerlines and won the NFL title and then coached Highlands Park. At one stage, he coached two teams at the same time; Highlands the NFL and Corinthians in the First Division. He went on to coach Penarol, the biggest team in Uruguay. When he moved to Uruguay he brought with him, Abednigo Valdez “Shaka” Ngcobo from Kaizer Chiefs. After joining Amakhosi, he helped the club win the 1979 League title and Mainstay Cup. Over and above Setlhodi and Lehoko, his star-studded Chiefs team included the likes of Lucky Stylianou, Nelson “Teenage” Dladla, Zacharia “Computer” Lamola, to mention just a few. “When Tuani arrived at Chiefs in the 1970s, we didn’t have a goalkeeper coach and fortunately for me, Tuani was an ex-goalkeeper,” adds Setlhodi. “He used to give me extra training sessions and that was a plus for me. Mario was intelligent like that, he was a great man and his passing is a great loss. He was one of the people who didn’t try change the way we played football. He was anti-European coaching and he enjoyed what we were doing; he was a carpet coach. He shared a special trust with his players … he was a great philosopher and knew all of our strengths and weaknesses. “Football has a lost a legend. It was a blessing to have him in our country because he taught us so many things. Those who played with him will understand me when I talk about Mario Tuani, and may his soul rest in peace.”