He was my number one man
On nine years since Thomas Madigage’s demise
All I want to say is short and sweet. What I want to say is, ‘Tommy, you’ll never be forgotten.’ I think of him a lot of times and I think of him all the time and it’s
one of those things that happened at a time when Tommy was at his prime with football and his coaching career going forward. I think Monday was the day (in which he passed on) nine years ago. It’s so horrible because he was loved so much by my family and all of us and I just want to say to his family, it’s tough and it’s something that makes one emotional. Tommy will never be forgotten. Tommy’s family and his children were very special to him. I think he had quite a few kids and he always used to tell me, “I’m going to see my children” and
he was traveling here and there to see this one and that one. Tommy was a very special person and when I decided that he was the type of person I wanted to be my assistant coach at Bafana Bafana, I remember that Tommy was so excited and so willing to want to go forward. I remember when he was coaching under Gavin Hunt when he was at SuperSport United and I spoke to Gavin and his people to get to know a bit more about Tommy before I decided, they said to me, “Coach, you can never make a mistake with Tommy. He’s such a genuine, honest person and he’ll support you all the way.” Everyone just had nice things to say about Tommy and when I had him with me, everything that they said proved to be the correct thing. He was there to support and help and go overtime, and whatever I needed, he was there for the team and for the players, and his loss was a huge one. The memories are so fond and there are so many memories of him driving in the car, going to places, going to watch games somewhere and when we had to go watch a certain player – those are special times to me. He was my number one man. It was fantastic having Tommy there, as well as Serame Letsoaka. We loved him so much.
On the passing of Lucky Maselesele
Lucky was one of my players and it’s sad to see him go at such a young age… I mean 41. It’s so sad when you go through the times and you see these players that are passing on, it’s very sad. His passing was untimely. All I can say is my deepest condolences to his family and all his loved ones and our prayers and thoughts are with them all the time. I just can’t comprehend it.
Remembering Maselesele the player
Lucky was a player that could win the game for you singlehandedly. He would pick up the ball and do something special with it. He was such a good dribbler of the ball and such an exciting player. His work rate was excellent and he could see things. He could make things happen, you know. He was a very tricky player and exciting to watch. The supporters used to love him and when he played for Kaizer Chiefs, that’s where he really excelled because he is a type of player that a Chiefs fan would love to see. He would get the ball, take on players with his tricks. He was one of those exciting types of players and our memories and thoughts of him will always live on. To be honest, I can’t remember any particular incident with him because he was such a special player and a special person that he would do so many things. He was like a cheeky player on the field because he could do anything and the players who were marking him were always very aware that they needed to be tight on him, not give him space or a chance. So, he was always a type of player that was going to be picked up or marked by the opposition. The opposition coach would always have something to say about him to his players, telling them to not allow Lucky to get the ball and to get into certain areas. There was always a comment about him as a player that they had to be careful of. He needed to be watched and taken care of and tightly marked by the opposition. He was a lovely player to have in the team and he worked his socks off for his teammates and he was well capable of producing something special at any moment. Not only did he score goals, but he could create goals, see something, produce a cross that could potentially win any match. He had great quality crossing balls in there, but also playing in the middle of the park. He was a fantastic player!”
This week we hear from Gordon Igesund – Former Bafana Bafana head coach
Gordon Igesund, Former Bafana Bafana head coach