That gives us comfort

Vuyani Joni: Hana, welcome to the pages of Soccer Laduma and thanks so much for taking time to speak to our readers. Riaan Hanamub: Thanks so much, bro. You’re welcome.

VJ: You’ve been one of the most consistent players so far this season, not just for Usuthu but in the whole league. How do you sum up your performances so far? RH: First of all, I’d like to say thank you to God f or giving me the opportunity to play in this league. I think it all boils down to hard work and determination, you know? You need to push yourself over the limit and that’s how you maintain consistency. The way you train is the way you play, so every time you go to training, you give it your all in preparation for the game.

VJ: A lot of players struggle with that attitude, which leads to their inconsistency, and subsequently we see them perform well in patches. What do you say to players who are not giving it their all at training but still want to play, come match day?

RH: Look, how you take care of your body will determine how far you will go with it. Your body must be in top shape all the time if you want to maintain consistency and play well. Discipline is also very key, so if you don’t know what’s good for you and your career, then that’s where your career will fall short. You can’t replace hard work and it doesn’t matter how talented you are. Another important thing is not to play for people, you understand? You have to play for God, who has given you the talent to show Him that you appreciate the talent He has given you.

VJ: Is this the message you share with your teammates, especially the young ones?

RH: Yes, yes, definitely, you know. The most common problem we face (in football) is that we tend to play for people, you know. We forget that our talent comes from above, the Man Above. So, whenever we play, we have to remind ourselves that God could’ve given the talent and opport unity to someone else but He still chose you. That means you have to be grateful and give everything you have whether you are training or playing.

VJ: It sounds like you have a good head on your shoulders. Other than what you’ve already mentioned, what keeps you on the straight and narrow?

RH: My situation back home (sighs heavily). I come from an underprivileged family background, so I’m working hard to try and change the situation so that I can provide my kids and my entire family a better life that I never had. I’m also working hard to make my parents happy even though they are no longer with us, after passing on in 2018 and 2019 respectively.

VJ: Most of our professional footballers, especially from Black communities, are breadwinners who have a huge responsibility of looking after their families. Please let us into the dynamics of such a life. RH: I was born and raised in a small

Namibian international Riaan Hanamub has been one of the most consistent and regular features in Usuthu’s team since joining them from Chippa United. The soft-spoken left back speaks to Soccer Laduma editor Vuyani Joni about his smooth transition from the Chilli Boys to AmaZulu FC, losing coach Brandon Truter, working under coach town called Otavi in the Northern Namibia. I was brought up by both my parents. Sadly, my dad passed on in 2018 and then, eight months later, my mother passed on together with my sister. So, I’m now left with my younger sister and older brother, as siblings. That means the responsibility is on me now to look after them and my own kids. That’s why I don’t want to do anything that would jeopardize my career because they all depend on me.

VJ: We are so sorry to hear about your losses. Losing your parents is something no one wants to go through, but losing them so soon, back-to-back, and your sister must be really tough.

HR: It has been really tough, I’m not going to lie. I felt like a dark cloud was hanging over me and my family. I had to draw strength from God and understand that everything happens for a reason. I’m a firm believer in Jesus Christ, so I leave everything in His hands, draw strength from Him and move on. Sometimes I feel discouraged, but I turn to His word to get strength and hope.

VJ: Right. RH:

Like I said, I believe in God. There are people who are looking up to me, not just my family or people from Namibia but in South Africa as well, so I have to live a positive life because you never know who is watching you. You never know who is inspired by the life you are living. That’s why I have to be professional all the time, not only on the field but off the field as well. Like I said, you never know who is watching and looking up to you, but you don’t want to disappoint them.

VJ: That’s so true and powerful! Moving on, your transition from Chippa United to AmaZulu FC seemed seamless as you hit the ground running. What do you attribute that to?

RH: I obviously enjoyed my time at Chippa and as soon as I joined AmaZulu, the players, technical team and everyone at the club welcomed me with open arms. They made me feel at home and that helped me to settle down quickly, so I have to thank them for that.

VJ: The team’s start to the season wasn’t as good as your run in the MTN8.

RH: Looking at the quality we have in the team, our league results and position on the log are not justifiable. Having said that, it is still early days and we should just keep our heads up and continue to pull in one direction. The situation in the league should not discourage us. We should just keep working hard with our heads between our shoulders and not panic. Looking at the quality we have in our team, we deserve to finish the season in a much better position than we are in now. There’s still a long way to go and I believe we will turn the corner soon.

VJ: The team has seen three coaches in a short space of time with the departure of coach Benni McCarthy, coach Brenbeen don Truter came in and left before coach Romain Folz was appointed. What impact did this have on the team? RH: I obviously joined the team after coach Benni had already left, so my first coach here was coach Brandon and he was great to work with. I think both him and coach Folz have the same qualities because they have the winning mentality. They have a lot of similarities in their approach.

VJ: Like what? RH:

They both want to win at all cost, they have a similar style of play and how they want to see us operate. Those are just some of the similarities.

VJ: What did you make of coach Brakkies’ departure?

RH:

It is never good when someone loses their job. We look after our families through football, so it is never easy to see someone lose their job.

VJ: He played a major role in getting the team to the final, beating Cape Town City 2-1 away and getting that 1-all draw away to Kaizer Chiefs before getting sacked. Not much has

said about him in the team’s MTN8 campaign. RH: He is the one who got us to the semi-finals and secured a vital draw against Chiefs, like you said, so he also played an important role in our campaign.

VJ: How are you finding with coach Folz?

working RH: It has been really good because I know what he expects from me and I’m trying to give him the best that I can possibly give, whenever he’s given me a chance.

VJ: proved coach home RH: Honestly, it wasn’t easy because I felt and believed the coach deserved a win. I felt we needed one win to light the fire, you understand? I believe we will start winning more games now and continue with that winning streak.

Getting that elusive win to be a mission for Folz until the 1-0 win at to Stellenbosch FC. VJ: What was your first impression when coach Folz joined you? RH:

When I was at Chippa, I played under different coaches and what almotivated ways me was to first get to know what the coach wants from us, as players, so that we know what we need to do. That meant I was always ready to serve whoever was coaching the team and that I was open-minded about it. I had to know what coach Folz needed from me, which he exand plained, then I was ready to get going. My first impression of him was the same I always had with all my previous coaches, waiting to hear what the coach wants and being ready to deliver.

caught your eye about

Romain Folz, losing the final of the MTN8 to Orlando Pirates, participating in the inaugural Carling Black Label Cup last weekend, and more, in this interview.

VJ: What coach Folz?

RH: He’s an incredible human being. He’s very open if you want to talk to him, so you can ask him anything. That gives us, as players, comfort when your coach is open to discuss anything because that means he’s a father-figure.

VJ: You beat Amakhosi on the away goal rule in the two-legged MTN8 semi-final. What did you make of those two encounters?

RH:

Firstly, Chiefs is a very big team and we had to take it one game at a time. We had to make sure that we don’t get carried away, thinking about the final and all that. We had to focus on what was in front of us, which I think we did well in both games, hence we reached the final.

VJ: After playing 1-1 away in the first leg, di d that give you hope to wrap things up in the second leg in your own backyard?

RH: Definitely! It is not easy to come up with a positive result from FNB Stadium and playing to a draw gave us a bit of an advantage. That gave us more confidence going into the second leg.

VJ: With a number of former Chiefs players in your team, what role did they play in planning the Soweto giants’ downfall?

RH:

“The responsibility is on me now to look after them and my own kids.”

Errr… the guys are experienced enough and we always look up to them. They’ve been in this game for long enough to know how to handle such occasions. We learn from them every day and they make our job easier through their assistance and guidance.

VJ: There’s sometimes a score to settle when players are coming up against their former team. You must have sensed that leading up to the games, especially the second leg.

RH: Not at all! I don’t think it was a personal game for the guys at all.

It was a team effort and nothing personal. Everyone did what they needed to do. The guys put the team first and focused on the team’s plans and strategy. When playing against your former team and allow emotions to take over, that’s when you lose the plot. I’m happy my teammates didn’t go into that match emotional, as they put the team first, like I said.

VJ: Let’s talk the MTN8 final, where you lost to Orlando Pirates 1-0 at Moses Mabhida Stadium, after a good run in the tournament.

Riaan Hanamub:

Yes, it was a good run for us and the result in the final was really disappointing. It wasn’t a true reflection of what happened on the day because our performance told a completely different story to the result. After conceding, we reactivated our minds to say, “We have to go all out in search of that equalizer and probably go for the winner as well.” That’s why our second half performance was much better.

VJ: Going a goal down through such a mistake, especially from someone who had been so solid for the team keeping Usuthu in games like Veli Mothwa had done, must have been really disappointing?

RH:

Football is a game of mistakes, so you win or lose the game through a mistake. Whenever one of us commits a mistake, we should try to pull him up instead of dragging them down. If you drag them down, then you will be one man short and that would make life even tougher for the rest of the team. That’s why we had to be there for Veli, to pick him up so that he could regain his confidence. He’s a top professional and I know he can do better and he will definitely do better.

VJ: How was he, after the game, as that mistake was a decider if you will?

RH:

No, no, no, he’s a very professional guy. He’s very strong, mentally strong, and that mistake didn’t see him drop his head. He got over it and kept his head up, as he should, and that was very important for him and the whole team.

VJ: Straight from that, you went on to participate in the one-day four-team Carling Black Label Cup. How was that experience for you?

RH: It is a new competition in the league and we faced one of the best teams in the country, Mamelodi Sundowns, in the opening game. That doesn’t give us any excuses to lose by 3-0 because we all know that we should have done better. That loss couldn’t have come at a better time, now that we are on a break. We have to reset and readjust so that when we come back, we rectify the mistakes we committed and do better. Being part of the tournament was a good thing. However, psychologically, (for) most players, not just from AmaZulu FC but even from Kaizer Chiefs and Pirates, our minds were already on the short break. We had to be professional and go through the games by giving them all the respect they deserved. That’s why we applied our minds and kept focused.

VJ: What was it like to go straight into penalties for the third-place play-off without kicking a ball?

RH:

That was really a new experience for me and everyone involved because we are used to playing and then break the deadlock through penalties. This time around, how do you go straight to penalties? I must say it was strange, but we live and learn. We knew before the tournament started that if we lost our first game, then we would go straight to penalties to decide the third-place spot, so we can’t be making excuses.

VJ: Any message for Usuthu faithful?

RH: May they rally behind us and we guarantee them our utmost best

and hard work, all the time.

VJ: Brother, thanks so much for your time.

RH:

Thanks to you, man.

It took time to finally realise that most ex-footballers are jealous of the current crop. Bapela and Mpangase are a typical example. The latter is not that popular. Every time he’s referred to as a former Sundowns player, some supporters get confused. I don’t remember the last time these two had glowing words about the team. Destruction seems to be their sworn mantra. Criticism is allowed, but it should be healthy. Additionally, from the mouths of Chiefs and Pirates legends, all we hear is that they sweated for the badge, not money, forgetting that the Rand wasn’t as low when compared to the US Dollar back then as it is today. If they were playing only for the badge, how did they manage to feed their families? I was impressed by Lekoelea’s analysis after the league Soweto Derby. He was spot-on and said it like it is. I take my hat off for him. We need more ex-professionals like you, Chippa. You truly deserve to be addressed as a Pirates legend, unlike some who are always in the studio displaying their bias through their analysis. Tente “The Brains” Mokoka, Sepharane

It seems like the AmaZulu FC coach has joined Hunt as a bad loser. Of all the games that I’ve seen when he coaches, he’s never accepted that his team lost. The boy needs to know that he is coaching in a professional league in Mzansi. The PSL is not a semi-pro league like Botswana. His approach to the game is always to play for a draw and it was disgusting to come up with such an approach in the MTN8 final. During the postmatch interview, he said they expected to go to extra time, but the fact of the matter is that he should man up and accept the loss. Pirates won the game and they were better prepared, and good character teams always win. Folz is still young, needs to grow in the game and should accept defeat, finish and klaar, because this Hunt attitude won’t help him. Mosa Mothobi, via email

I so wish our match officials would be consistent in their application of the Laws of the Game, be it a friendly, league or cup game. This is because it takes one blow to turn a game on its head. During the Carling Black Label Cup, Zungu was on a yellow card when he was shibobo’d, he then pulled Bwalya’s shirt to stop him from advancing further with the ball. The referee blew for a foul and that was a clear professional foul that deserved a booking. The referee didn’t book him and what happened next? Sundowns ended up winning 3-0. That was the defining moment because a red card would have handed AmaZulu FC numerical advantage. Xoki caught Domingo with a bad challenge and the referee gave him a red card and that irked me because clearly the application of the laws seemed inconsistent as witnessed during the earlier game, even though it wasn’t the same referee. I am already missing Victor Gomes. Morongwa Zwee Mokgohloa, Ga-Mokgohloa

The odds were stacked heavily against Sundowns Ladies as the defending champions. The hostile environment, conceding an early goal and two red cards all played a part. They fell 4-0 to hosts ASFAR on Sunday night, with left-footed Jraidi scoring a hat-trick. I still salute them for the fight they put up on the day. The fact that they reached the final is worth celebrating. They must come back home with pride and prepare for the next edition of the Women’s Champions League. Internationally, both PSG and Arsenal opened five-point leads after seeing off Auxerre and Wolves respectively, and it will be interesting times after the World Cup. Amos “Tiger” Tshukudu, Ga-Maria

It never rains but pours for Chelsea as they lost their third league match in a row. When Potter took over from Tuchel, he managed a nine-match unbeaten run. It was a good run which gave hope. They’ve already lost to two big teams, Arsenal and Man City. The World Cup came at the right time for Chelsea as they will have enough time to regroup and recharge their batteries. For teams doing well, it may break their rhythm, which won’t be a good thing at all. Newcastle are doing wonders this season and ended the first round in the top three. In their last five matches in open play, they’ve scored 11 goals and conceded only two goals. Says a lot about their goalkeeper and solid defence. Bernard “Bra Ben” Tshukudu, Ga-Maria