I knew where I stood

“It was exciting to hear it rather than hear the nice things.”

“Some will say no and some will say yes and some will say maybe.”

Sibusiso Vilakazi left Mamelodi Sundowns after a six-year stay filled with the usual ups and downs. Gametime was proving hard to come by and there were no guarantees going into the future. Enter TS Galaxy. It’s a new chapter for one of South African football’s most likeable characters. It would seem Vila has not taken time to adjust to his new surroundings. In this interview with Soccer Laduma’s Tshepang Mailwane, the ex-Wits captain revisits the brutally honest conversation that preceded his Downs exit and opens up on his new journey.

Tshepang Mailwane: Vila, congrats on your move to TS Galaxy. Take us through how the first few of weeks have been for you in a new environment after six years with Mamelodi Sundowns.

Sibusiso Vilakazi: When everything is done in confidence and everybody has given their thoughts and opened their hearts in terms of the time to move, then of course you start to reflect back and start to say your goodbyes. After that, for me, I took one day (to let it sink in), but the memories will forever be cherished. After that day, it was onto the next one, which was joining up with my new teammates. We had a camp. We travelled to Pietermaritzburg and the whole purpose of going to camp is to get to know one another. Overall, it’s been a warm welcome and it feels at home. It feels like a family and that’s what I want, of course. I think family is more important than anything. Within this family, there is a lot of love and the guys are chilled, which is quite good. It’s a fairly balanced squad, with youngsters and the ones who’ve been in the game for some time, the experienced guys. Up to this far, it’s been great. It’s exciting. It’s always great to start a new chapter.

TM: You started pre-season with the Brazilians and there were talks on whether or not you’d stay. At what point was it clear that you’d be leaving?

SV: Of course, I was still contracted to Sundowns. I still had the passion to wake up every morning and to go do what I love, which is to play football. It came to a point where I spoke to the coaches and we had a meeting. I kindly requested that I should go somewhere else to get some gametime, because looking at the situation and the time, I felt I would be happy to go get myself another opportunity to play football. That makes me happy. That’s how it came about, where we came to a mutual point where I got those blessings and the door was opened, and management felt it would be really good to see me playing again and inspiring the upcoming youngsters. I still remained a true professional. I continued training with the team (during pre-season) and I did what I could.

TM: Why was it important for you to get the coaches’ blessings?

SV: It was important to get the truth because it was more about asking what the plans were for the season. It was important for me to hear the brutal truth, where they tell me straight that, ‘You know, it might happen or it might not happen.’ I did not need them to guarantee me that I would play 18 or 19 games. That starts with me more than anything else, to raise my hand. But then the brutal truth was that, ‘We don’t see it happening, but you are within our plans. You will have a fair chance of helping us.’ But the brutal truth was there and I took it and it came about that everybody felt that every good story has an end. They would like to see me playing more and with the team, it was a case of not seeing me playing that much. For me, it was to get to a point where I was clear where I was standing going into the new season. So, that was that, and I myself had opened myself to opportunities. That’s how it happened. For me, it was more about hearing the brutal truth rather than the lies, where you get told, ‘You are going to play.’ Then when the season comes, you are raising your hand, but for whatever reason, you are not breaking in. I did not want to find myself (in

a situation) where I was stuck and asking myself all these questions. You know Sundowns and the quality that the team has, anybody who plays wants to grab that opportunity. Once that train starts moving, you are left behind.

TM: You wanted the brutal truth, but was it not difficult to hear it?

SV: For me, I wanted to hear it. It was not difficult to hear it because I wanted to hear the truth more than anyit, thing else. When I got I was happy and I knew where I stood, which is good. It was exciting to hear it rather than hear the nice things. I don’t want to dwell on the nice things. Funny enough, I like the negative part.

TM: You don’t often hear people wanting to hear the negative stuff.

SV: You know when you keep on hearing praises, it kind of stays in your head. Everybody wants to be acknowledged and given a pat on their back when they are doing good things, but sometimes I feel that I don’t need to get a pat on my back when I know that I am doing good. You can tell me, and I will appreciate it, but you can’t stay on that.

TM: Interesting. So, when did Galaxy come into the picture?

SV: It only happened after I started to approach the coaches. I think it was hand-in-hand. They spoke to my agent. They were the only team asking me about me. For someone like Mr Tim Sukazi to approach, that for me went a long way.

TM: Before your move, you had been linked with Kaizer Chiefs…

SV: No, there was nothing. The only team I can confirm was TS Galaxy. Nobody else.

TM: Overall, were you happy with your time at Chloorkop?

SV: Absolutely. You can even go back as far as the backto-back titles. The important thing was contributing, more than anything. I was playing that part as a contributor in the team, more than anything else and the personal accolades. It was more (about) celebrating with the team and putting the team on top, which happened season after season. Even though I had those ups and downs, the season would not finish without me playing a single game. I still maintained to see myself coming and helping the team, regardless of what occurred before. For me, that was the big part. I still managed to come back during the season. There are things you can’t run away from. They happen for a reason, but you still bounce back and contribute to the squad. It was fruitful. We won trophies and the main reason I went to Sundowns was to win titles. That ‘titles’ column, for me, and to tell beautiful stories was important. Sundowns showed how serious they were when they bought me out of my contract at Wits. It showed how much they wanted me and how they valued me. And even after coach Pitso (Mosimane) left, I appreciated the wisdom of the coaches (Manqoba Mngqithi, Rhulani Mokwena and Steve Komphela) and the opportunitiestheygaveme.Itwasreallygood.

TM: One can’t help but think of what level you could have reached had it not been for the injuries you suffered. SV: To be honest, things are the way they are. If it’s meant to be that way, then it’s meant to be that way. That’s the path I was chosen to go through. That’s why I appreciate the path I went through because through those times, I was also able to spend time with my family. I have a daughter and that gave me time to see her growing up, unlike packing my bag each and every time to go to Morocco or Egypt. So, it gave me an opportunity to spend time with my family and to reflect. With that part, I would not change anything. If that’s the path I was supposed to go through, then so be it. I tried to make it as beautiful as possible.

TM: Would you consider yourself a Mamelodi Sundowns icon?

SV: Nope.

TM: Why?

SV: You can decide, ha, ha, ha. I don’t like putting myself (in that list)… I will do the job and if it happens that I stand out, then it will happen. If I don’t, then I don’t. With that question, the supporters can also have their say because they have their own view of how they see things because it’s a game of opinions. Some will say no and some will say yes and some will say maybe. At the end of the day, it’s a game of opinions.

TM: How do you adapt to the change of moving from a club that’s used to winning titles to one that survived relegation last season?

SV: The good thing about the team is that they do have a history of winning a title. They have won the Nedbank Cup, so that shows what type of team they are. They won a trophy in a short space of time after being established. They were in the NFD at the time. It shows from the owners the type of culture they want to instill. I saw a big opportunity to try to come in and help the team build that culture, where they can compete. I feel that I can and with what I have accumulated with my experience, we can do better. The important thing is to lay that foundation. Coaches and players want to win and make history for the team.

TM: How much of a role can you, Bernard Parker and Xola Mlambo play in making sure that the team does not go through the struggles of 2021/22?

SV: I’m not sure, but this might be my 12th or 13th season. We have the young ones and we have to help them. We’ve got no choice because we need them throughout the season. We’ll make them better because we have to win games. That’s the most important thing for us this season. The most important thing is to lay the foundation and the right culture. If the culture and foundation is good, then we know that we have a team that can compete. I believe we’ll win games under the leadership we have. We’ll be helping the young ones, but they’ll be helping us at the same time because you’ll be quite surprised that even the young ones can help you. You need to have an open mind. They can’t always listen to your voice. So, I’m not coming in thinking that I have all these accolades.

TM: Has it been easy adapting to coach Sead Ra

movic’s style? He seems to love carpet football…

SV: At the end of the day, whether you play carpet football, tiki-taka… you have to score goals. We can admire it, but when it’s 0-0 at fulltime, it’s nothing. You can have 60% possession and have no goals. For me, we need to work hard to get the ball in the back of the net.

TM: Vila, good luck at the Rockets. SV: Thank you. ❐