Keet: It’s obvious why I’ve been left out
Celine Abrahams: After last weekend’s 1-1 draw against SuperSport United, Bidvest Wits’ chances of winning the league title have taken a knock.
Darren Keet: Obviously, we are disappointed at being out of the title race after having fought so hard to stay as long as we could at the top, but it is something the team can learn from because there were times where we could have taken advantage and found ourselves in a better position. It’s football though and things don’t always go the way we want them to. I think the guys are keeping it together and looking forward to ending with good results in our remaining matches.
CA: You have been a noticeable absentee from the squad. What’s up?
DK: Ah, it’s another disappointing factor because, as a player, you always want to play and we have AFCON coming up as well. When it comes to the selection process, they are going to look at players who have been playing and contributing to their clubs and this is when you need to be playing games in order to stand a chance to be in the squad. So it’s disappointing, but it is all up to the coaches. I just make sure that I go to training as normal and if the chance for me to play again is given, then I will be ready for it. Even though I’m not playing, I keep on supporting the boys and encouraging them the best way I can. It’s pretty obvious why I have been left out of the team, which is really unfortunate.
CA: Have you spoken to anyone at the club about this?
DK: No, I haven’t spoken to them. I don’t need to talk too much about not playing or getting my chance because, like I said, it is obvious why I’m not playing. I’m not too bothered about having a conversation about that because there is football to be played and I am here ready if the team needs me to play.
CA: It seems to be a norm now for a player to be cast aside for refusing to sign a new deal or for signing a pre-contract elsewhere. What do you think of this trend?
DK: It’s difficult to look at it. I mean, it does happen in other countries as well. I have been in Belgium where we’ve had the same situation. But it is disappointing because you go in to training, giving your best. It doesn’t matter whether your contract is ending or not, you still have a job to do and you still want to represent the club the best way you can because they are still paying me up until the end of June. So I still go in every day, work as hard as I have always done and make sure that I am well-prepared. Those things don’t change for me. I know that sometimes they will look at you and think, “Ah, he’s not going to play for us next season.” It’s like you become pretty much useless to them, but for us as players, we still look at ourselves being useful for the team and want to give our best. But it’s all part of football and all you can do is just carry on and fight your way through. At the moment, I do have a few interests, but nothing concrete because at this stage of the season teams are focused on the remainder of their games. I’m waiting for
the season to end to
Adebate has recently made its way into local football after Bidvest Wits goalkeeper, Darren Keet, stood firmly between the posts for Bafana Bafana when they booked their place in this year’s AFCON. The big question remains as to who between Keet and the keeper that has held the fort over the years – Itumeleng Khune, will be the last man standing. However, the humble shot-stopper has to worry about whether he’s going to be part of the squad for the African showpiece, as he has not been playing lately for Wits. There’s also the small matter of where his future lies. He confirms Mamelodi Sundowns, Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs have been circling him like ravenous predators. Soccer Laduma’s Celine Abrahams chats to ‘Popeye’, as the goalie is renowned amongst his peers.
“It is obvious why I’m not playing.”
see where my future lies and hopefully be part of our AFCON squad, which I am looking forward to.
CA: Your contract with the club expires at the end of June. What’s the latest in that regard?
DK: Ja, well, there has always been interest from other clubs locally for my services and I won’t beat about the bush about it, you know. Pirates have tried my agent, Sundowns have tried to contact me, (Kaizer) Chiefs as well. I mean, while I am playing at Wits and enjoying every moment here, it wouldn’t make sense to me to move anywhere else here. Wits is a team where you can get paid the same as any other club and, honestly, for me it’s not all about the money. It’s all about me being happy and I am happy here. There is no reason for me to want to leave the club for any other team here in South Africa and so I don’t even look at those options. CA: Would you say it is a case of loyalty since Wits is the only professional club that you’ve turned out for locally? DK: It’s not really about loyalty. Honestly, there is no need for players to be loyal to clubs and for clubs to be loyal to players. We are in a football business, but Wits has been a club that I have pretty much grown up in since I was 18 years old. It is a club that I like and it has grown in my heart and I would like to think that the people here feel the same way about me, so when you have built a relationship like this there is no reason to leave.. well, no reason for me to leave when I am happy with what I have. When you are happy and your bosses are happy, then why shouldn’t things work out the way you want them to work out? It’s not about loyalty at all, it’s just a matter of liking each other and basically we have been good for each other. It has been a good relationship that has resulted in some good memories being made and that is something I would like to see happening again come the end of this season.
CA: Have you spoken to the management regarding your future?
DK: Yes, we have had a few discussions. Obviously, I am looking to go overseas also. My wife is from Germany, so we are looking at what our options can be. My son is four years old and we are looking at his future as well. We are trying to look at all possibilities at the moment and see what the best option for us as a family would be. But, yes, there have always been discussions between myself and the club and they want me to stay. Obviously, as you know, if I do stay here, it is only going to be at Wits. So, there have been a few ongoing talks, but we all haven’t decided yet. It’s still a long way to go and there are still a few more discussions that we still need to have amongst each other and then we will take it from there. For now, the focus is on helping my team in the remainder of the season. CA: You were trending on social media after your performance between the sticks for Bafana Bafana in the recent AFCON qualifier victory against Libya, with some tweets even suggesting that you could save us from load shedding! DK: (Laughs) It was nice to come home to such an incredible reception. It is good that we managed to get the result that we needed and the guys played well to help us qualify for AFCON. At the end of the day, that’s what we were looking for. Overall. it was a really good game for us and, for myself, it was one of those games that I really enjoyed. We didn’t feel any pressure, although we knew, as you pointed out, that we had to win back the hearts of our supporters. We had the hopes of the country on our shoulders, but I don’t think we felt that much pressure going into the game. I think what really helped us was that we left for Tunisia early, and not having any of the media around and literally just focusing on what we needed to do on the field was a bonus for us. Everyone was in a more relaxed mood and we had a nice, relaxed atmosphere in camp. We could focus on what we wanted to do and not listen to anyone else around us saying different things and having different sentiments. It was just us away from everyone, working for the country. It was a big game for us and we didn’t feel the need to do anything special but to go out there and win on the day. Thank God, we managed to do that!
CA: Which was not easy at all…
DK: It was always going to be a difficult one. You’re playing against Libya in Tunisia with a referee that is from Morocco, so from the start, we knew already that it was going to be an uphill task. A lot of our players in the squad, the (Mamelodi) Sundowns players, Orlando Pirates players, Ronwen Williams, etcetera, have been on the African continent, so they had more understanding of how to handle these situations.
“Pirates have tried my agent, Sundowns have tried to contact me, (Kaizer) Chiefs as well.”
CA: Well, all the best to you and your family, Popeye, as you prepare for what might be the next chapter in your lives.
DK: Thank you, Celine. Really appreciate it. ❐