SA football needs help
“You look overseas, clubs are named after their cities and that is adorable.”
Jackson Mabokgwane endured a frustrating period with Royal AM in the five months that he was with the club in what was, for all intents and purposes, a failed move. He could not make a single appearance during that period, going from hero to zero considering his status as number one goalkeeper for Bloemfontein Celtic, and parted company with the KZNbased outfit last month. Soccer Laduma’s Masebe Qina caught up with the 32-yearold to discuss his time at the club and plans for the future. The Polokwane-born man reveals that it all came down to Royal AM’s limited budget and that there was nothing untoward behind his departure. In addition, Mabokgwane has an important message for Celtic supporters.
Masebe Qina: Hola, Jackie. You have successfully negotiated your settlement with Royal AM and parted ways with the club, paving the way for your new club search.
Jackson Mabokgwane: Ja, it was just an amicable settlement and we parted ways. I think the club also had their challenges financially because, as you know, the pandemic has obviously affected everybody. So, it was amicable, and I had a very good relationship with everybody there, from MaMkhize (Shauwn Mkhize) and everybody. I am now looking forward to my new chapter.
MQ: Hang on a minute, have you just mentioned financial challenges in the same sentence as Royal AM and MaMkhize? Explain what you mean as not everyone would agree with that judging by the lavish lifestyle that the club’s president and her son and chairman Andile Mpisane live. To top it off, we’ve seen the club pay players bonuses in cash on the field!
JM:
I think it’s something that the club has also mentioned, to say that they needed to balance the books. I mean, that is understandable because they took over the Bloemfontein Celtic squad after they bought us, so the squad was very big. So, those are the reasons and that is what they came out and said (it) themselves. Their budget needed to be managed carefully and they needed to balance the books and, as you know by now, a lot of players have left. That’s why I got into the negotiations with the club, along with the other players and some members of the technical team as well.
MQ: Why didn’t you play not even a single official match for Royal AM, although the number one jersey was yours at Celtic?
JM: I was injured. Then when I recovered, I did sit on the bench (for three matches), but I don’t want to say much about that. The most important thing is that I recovered from my injury and the rest is history, and I don’t want to talk about my time there because that’s in the past now. But, like I say to you, I was injured and that was for the better part of the first round of the season.
MQ: So, were you not keen to stay on and compete after you…
JM:
(Cuts in) No, I was doing very well at training and the coaches were telling me every day that I was training very well. But, like I mentioned, there were other issues, like the financial problem from the club’s side, and we had to reach the amicable decision to part ways. For me, as a footballer, I need to play football and I was not there for money. I wasn’t there to just sit and earn money. I’m a player who is confident in my abilities and I want to play football. It’s not about money for me and I want to play and if I don’t play, then I must leave because somewhere else I will be able to play.
Was that the case with you, as you had your contract extended in March last year to June 2025? JM: To be honest, South African football needs help because teams are struggling financially. There is a lot going on and teams are getting sold left, right and centre. I mean, now there must be a new team every two seasons and there are changes in names of clubs and changes in everything. It is sad that a team like Bloemfontein Celtic is no longer there for the people of the Free State. To the stakeholders and the government, I say SA football needs help. That’s still going to be the case, unfortunately – teams are going to be bought and they will relocate. I mean, a big institution like Bidvest Wits got sold and the same happened to Celtic, and that’s why I say SA football needs help and that will be the only solution. You just mentioned that I signed until 2025… I made my plans, and I was playing well and (I was) important to the club for them to give me a long-term contract. So, you’ve been planning your life, but then, unfortunately you have to up and leave. But, yeah, it won’t end, and it didn’t start with us, and it will continue like this until there is some financial assistance coming through for the game because the game is slowly dying because teams are struggling and there’s the pandemic as well, and hopefully the supporters will come back to the stadiums to help the teams. Whatever it takes to help the teams is what is going to help now, otherwise South African football is going to be in trouble. If teams are stable, nobody will sell as all the teams will be able to manage their finances. You look overseas, clubs are named after their cities and that is adorable and something that is very nice. It’s something that we had in South African football and still have with the likes of Bloemfontein Celtic, Polokwane City and Cape Town City, and that’s very nice and it gives the supporters a sense of belonging. But unfortunately, if we don’t take care of our own, the game is going to suffer.
MQ: What sort of help do you think SA football needs?
JM:
I think, firstly, the government would need to open the stadiums for the supporters as a shortterm solution, then the municipalities would need to look after their teams with some financial injection. Chippa United gets help (from the municipality) and I think Maritzburg United also get assistance, if I’m not mistaken. So, those are some of the solutions. But to help our football to grow and to make our league competitive, the sponsors and other stakeholders need to come on board, otherwise we will have two or three teams fighting for the title every season because they would be signing all the best players because of the budget they have. They have the best facilities and have highly qualified multiple scouts, coaches, big squads of quality players, analysts and so on. Travelling is easier for them because they can afford it, and there are a lot that people who do not know what goes on behind the scenes which contributes immensely to winning the three points on matchday.
MQ: What are the options for you with regards to the club that you’re likely to join?
JM:
My manager is talking to a few teams and hopefully in the next few days, we will make a decision locally or abroad. But I’ve got no pressure because I’m not affected by the transfer window and I can make the right decision, which is the most important thing for me, making the right decision. As the senior player that I am, who has been in the game for long, I need to be where I will be effective, and like I say, we will make a decision whether it will be for a local club or one from abroad. My decision will depend on a lot of things because I have a family that I also need to think about and I’ve got my businesses and all of that. So, it’s important to make a right decision and, like I said, financially there is no problem and this is not about money but about where I’m going to be happy and where I’m going to be able to do what I need to do. For me, the most important thing is to play football.
MQ: Talking about family and businesses, did you have issues with relocating to KwaZulu-Natal when it was announced in August that Max Tshabalala had sold Celtic to MaMkhize because you were seemingly reluctant to move from the word go?
JM:
(Laughs) The team was sold and I didn’t have a problem with that, but I had signed until 2025 (with Celtic). I had planned for staying in Bloemfontein until 2025. I love Bloemfontein and it had been my choice to go and play in Bloemfontein because I loved the team and the people of Bloemfontein, and I did well for the team. But to answer your question, it’s not like I had a problem, but obviously I was affected like everybody else because we all had plans and that’s why we were all affected by the changes. What happened is one of the things that happen in football and, like I mentioned earlier, it wasn’t the first time that it happened and it’s definitely not the last time that it happens. Clubs and players get sold and it is what it is, and I was affected by it like everybody else. But we are professionals and we accepted the situation.
MQ: Going back to talking about your lack of game-time at Royal AM, did you ask coach John Maduka as to why you didn’t play even after you recovered from injury?
JM:
No, I don’t feel like answering this one. I told you that the coaches told me that I was training well and that they were happy with me after I came back from injury. But I did not play (giggles).
MQ: So, you reckon it must have had to do with something else from somewhere within the club?
JM: I don’t know.
MQ: Lastly, what is your message to the supporters of Celtic, who were evidently disappointed after the sale of the club?
JM: (Sighs) Yeah, I just want to say that I wish them well and I hope that Celtic will come back (to the topflight), and I guess we are all hoping for that for their sake and for the sake of South African football. We definitely do miss them. For me personally, I appreciate them and I thank them for their love and the support that they showed me.