He was a bit scared…
Masebe Qina: Balotelli, how does it feel to be back in the topflight and playing regularly?
Somila Ntsundwana: It feels good, and the thing is that I’ve had a taste of PSL football before, even though things didn’t go so well back then because I didn’t play too many games. Coming to Richards Bay was a blessing in disguise for me because we had to first get the club promoted and now I have the privilege of playing for the team in the top division and this is something huge for me. Having come from the lower ranks with the team and now playing at the top, this is an achievement for me.
MQ: Richards Bay FC have had an impressive start to the season. What’s the plan in your first topflight campaign?
SN: Yeah, I think when we got promoted from the Motsepe Foundation (then known as the GladAfrica) Championship, people thought that we wouldn’t make an impression and that maybe we’d be relegation candidates, but so far that hasn’t been the
case. So, we are gunning for the 30point mark to be safe and anything extra that we get will be a bonus. The target for us is to be safe and secure the club’s status.
MQ: Why did you not play much at AmaZulu FC?
SN:
With the AmaZulu story, I felt like the players that were playing back then deserved to play and my coach at the time, Cavin Johnson, told me to wait for my chance. Even though I wanted to play, I could also see that the guys were doing well. But there were times I felt that maybe I deserved to be given a chance. I remember being given a chance in one of the games against Wits and I got two assists, and I got another chance against SuperSport United and I scored a goal. From there, I thought things would be better for me, but that didn’t happen. Things didn’t really happen the way I expected and while I thought that the coach had me in his plans, he was under pressure. I needed a coach that would have belief in me that I could make things happen for the team and I then decided that instead of me staying at AmaZulu without playing, I needed to go and challenge myself elsewhere. That’s when I came to Richards Bay in search of game-time.
MQ: Did you feel Johnson didn’t believe in you?
SN:
I wouldn’t say that because he’s the one who gave me my PSL debut and I will forever be grateful to him for that. I’d say that at that time, he was a bit scared to play me because I was still an unknown and there were experienced players ahead of me. But I did feel that he wanted to play me because he believed in young players, but it was not the right moment. I think he was waiting for the right moment to play me because sometimes I’d be in the team, even if in the end I didn’t play. That’s why I understood when he explained to me that he wanted to play me but sometimes things were out of his control as he was trying to create stability in the team with the experienced players. So, the coach did believe in me, but he was a bit cautious because I think we were also in the relegation zone at the time and it wasn’t easy for him to throw in the youngsters. A guy like Bongi Ntuli was doing well at the time and the coach had coached him
previously at Platinum Stars.
MQ: When you left for the Natal Rich Boys in January last year, Benni McCarthy had just been appointed as Usuthu coach. Didn’t you see that as an opportunity for a fresh start under him?
SN: I just felt that things were not going to happen for me at AmaZulu because the same thing
kept happening for “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure” is a perfect idiom to describe how Richards Bay FC benefited from taking a chance on Somila Ntsundwana when he was a little-known player bogged down by a lack of playing minutes at AmaZulu FC. From the get-go, the Gqeberha-born lad proved his worth and was influential in the team’s promotion-winning campaign of 2021/22. But why was the lanky striker not getting a chance at Usuthu despite the qualities he showed from a young age? Soccer Laduma’s Masebe Qina spoke to the 25-year-old to discuss having to bide his time at the KZN outfit, up until his patience ran out. The forward further reveals what he was told by his former coaches at the club, while he also talks about the topflight plans of the high-flying Natal Rich Boys. me that I didn’t get a chance to play. When coach Benni started, I was still there and I remember that in the game against Chippa (United) after he started, I was in the team. I had been in the team even in the previous game against (Golden) Arrows under coach Allan Freese before coach Benni (officially) took over. After he took over, Benni asked me what was going on with me and I explained what my situation was, and he promised me that things would change. But the team had not been doing well and players like (Luvuyo) Memela and (Augustine) Mulenga were doing well, and it was going to be difficult for me to play ahead of those guys, so I felt that it was time for me to move on. I had been with AmaZulu for three years and I was getting tired of hearing every coach telling me that they were seeing potential in me but I wasn’t getting a chance to play. I explained to coach Benni why I needed the move to Richards Bay and I thanked him for his honesty in how he explained to me about the competition I was facing from the experienced guys who were coming from the big clubs. Initially, the plan was that I’d come back in pre-season for the following season to start afresh, as I
was leaving for Richards Bay on loan.
MQ: How did it feel when coaches told you that you had the potential but were not playing you?
SN: Being a professional footballer is hard. In fact, every job in general is difficult and I think nawe nje (even you), you do have your own stressful moments at work sometimes.
MQ: Plenty, ha, ha, ha…
SN: I would wonder as to why I wasn’t playing despite the talent that I have and I kept asking myself every time what was happening. It came to a point where sometimes I’d even ask myself, “But am I really good enough?” But, as a footballer, it is up to you at the end of the day because this is the career that you chose. I kept pushing and kept motivated in saying that I may never know who’s watching. At that time, it was not even about money for me, all I needed was to get an opportunity to play. Then after one of the friendly games we played against Richards Bay, the club’s chairman, Jomo Biyela, made his intentions clear about wanting me at his club. Yho! The chairman used to love me, and he was always calling me to tell me that he wanted me at the club. When I finally made the decision to come to the club, the chairman told me about his vision for the club and promised me that I’d play and how he wanted me to help the team gain promotion.
MQ: Go on. SN:
Initially, I joined Richards Bay on loan and I did well as I was getting game-time and I immediately felt at home at the club. At AmaZulu, I would do well in pre-season and when the season started, I would not get a chance to play. So, after the successful loan spell I had with Richards Bay, I decided that I wanted to join the club permanently because I wanted a stable home for myself. But I heard that AmaZulu exercised the option on my contract. I had a three-year contract with the club, plus an option of two years, and it was that two-year option that the club activated, and I was like, “Oh, no, guys! I understand that you want me, but I feel like AmaZulu is no longer a home for me. Can I please go?”
But I don’t want to lie, everything went smoothly and AmaZulu played their part. They spoke to the chairman of Richards Bay and the chairman bought me and brough tmehere.
MQ: Did you feel like your talent was being wasted at AmaZulu? SN: Not really. Saying that my talwould ent was being wasted be a bit harsh because my talent was acknowledged and I was told that my time would come. Maybe if I had been a little bit patient, my time would have come. But at the tim e, I was really looking for a change of environment and I wanted to see if the problem was me or what. A nd it was later proven that the problem was not with me becau se at Richards Bay, in only one season I p layed 27 games – can you imagine? At AmaZulu, I was there for three years and I didn’t even play 10 games.
MQ: What’s the journey been like where you currently are? SN: I don’t want to lie to you, this has been the best decision I’ve ever taken in my football career. I don’t know how to explain it, but joining the te am has helped me to realise my potential and what my capabilities are. My Richards Bay family made me feel welcome and it has been smooth sailing. It has always been about the love here and I’m appreciated. I can’t think of any other words of putting it, all I can say is that this has been the best decision I’ve e ver made. Even now that the team is in the top division, nothing has changed, I am still playing and feeli ng part of the team and being appreciated. As a footballer, that’s what you want.
“He explained to me that he wanted to play me, but…”
“I was getting tired of hearing every coach telling me that…”
MQ: You’ve made six starts and have scored one goal, with one assist. Satisfied? SN:
Well, not too happy but happy about the improvement here and there. As a player, you’ll always feel that you should have scored there and did better there, but for me, this season is all about contributing to the team and to make sure that the team survives. For me, it will be important to remain injury-fre e. I missed the game against Kaizer Chiefs because of the injury I picked up against Sekhukhune United and I’m hoping that I don’t get injured again because the more I play, the more I contribute to the team.
MQ: Balotelli, ing to Richards out the SN: Okay thanks, we’ll talk. My family has stuck with me through thick and thin and I’d like to tell them that I appreciate them a lot. My family and friends have played a huge role in my career and I wouldn’t be where I am t oday if it wasn’t for them. Even when I was not playing at AmaZulu, my family was there for me. I appreciate everyone who’s been in my circle and I ask them not to stop with support.