MACCABI’S MISSION

aaccabi head coach Mokete TTsotetsit (right)ih is almost the same age as Collins Mbesuma, with the duo having battled against each other as players on the pitch. Tsotetsi made his PSL debut in the 2004/05 season – the very same campaign Mbesuma set his goal scoring record – in the colours of Jomo Cosmos before turning out for PSL clubs Kaizer Chiefs, Bloemfontein Celtic, Vasco da Gama and Mpumalanga Black Aces, along with Roses United and EC Bees in the lower divisions. “Being a coach is different in the sense that you have to carry 30 different characters who think differently, which is unlike when you were a player, thinking mostly for yourself,” Tsotetsi says. “My role is to lead the team and I obviously have the help of the experienced players around who do the same. You cannot buy experience – you have to earn it. I’m a baby in coaching, but I want to eventually coach one of the top teams locally and be part of the national team set-up.” Known as a hard-tackling defender back in his day, Tsotetsi had been assistant coach at EC Bees when the opportunity to take over at Maccabi arose at the beginning of last season following the departure of Kenny Ndlazi. “We are a new team in the NFD and trying to settle in,” he says. “We want to retain our status and then move forward next season, but it doesn’t mean we shouldn’t go for it if we are on top.”