Still In Touch With... BRIAN SEBAPOLE (PART 2)

Dobsy, great talking to you again. Last week, you were telling us about the 1996 Bob Save Super Bowl Final against Orlando Pirates where Jomo Cosmos lost 1-0 to Orlando Pirates.

I think what disappointed us the most about losing that final was that they scored the winning goal with a hand – that goal (by Andries Sebola) was a hand ball. We were all shattered, because that was a clear hand ball, and the referee was not that far from the ball when the incident happened. But we had to take it and move on.

Soon after that, a young Aaron Mokoena joined Jomo Cosmos. How was he when he joined Jomo Cosmos?

Aaron came in and was very brave for his age. Despite being young, he showed character even then. His physical presence worked to his advantage, and he was also playing for the national U20 team. He didn’t play a lot of matches before he was selected for the 1998 Africa Cup of Nations in Burkina Faso. After he came back, he was already attracting interest from overseas. And soon after, he moved to Europe.

Aaron was not the only Jomo Cosmos player that moved overseas. You also earned a move to the MLS where you joined San Jose Earthquakes. How did your move happen?

The MLS was still new at the time, and they were looking for players around the world to boost their profile. There was an agent who connected Bra J with the San Jose Earthquakes, and fortunately at the time we had just been knocked out of the CAF Cup Winners’ Cup. Aaron and Benni McCarthy went to Ajax Amsterdam for trials and I left soon afterwards. I was still young and the life in the US was not that different – we consume a lot of their pop culture in South Africa, so I was not that shocked. It’s just that acclimatising took some time because I was based in California and it’s hot that side. We had a lot of Latinos in our team who came from South America and we had a lot in common. I was also fortunate enough to play alongside former US national team player, John Doyle. I was asked t op l ayasas triker, and you can imagine playing against those tall and big defenders.

We’re sure your first session was a baptism

training

of fire. Don’t even mention that. My first day at train, I received the ball next to John Doyle and he was a huge player – he was bigger than former Jomo Cosmos defender, John Salter. I received the ball and put it between his legs, a shibobo, and he got so upset with me. That side they perceive shibobo as disrespect and John was so upset. He grabbed me, lifted me off the ground and said: ‘You do that again, I will f**k you up, I promise you’. I was shocked but the man was very upset. John was a veteran of the team and everyone respected and feared him and here was this guy from Africa putting the ball between his legs. Even the way I made a turn, he didn’t expect it. But we became very good friends. It’s a pity that I picked up a very bad injury and it slowed my progress. There was also an issue between the club and Jomo Cosmos because during the negotiations they couldn’t agree on a new contract – I had to then come back.

How was your first MLS match? It was against D.C United in Washington. I was so nervous before the match because the stadium was so full. My first touch – John

Doyle came with the ball from the back and tried to play a quick onetwo with me. But unfortunately, I lost the ball possession and the ball was intercepted by a defender behind me. John was angry. After that everything settled down and I played well.

But surely, off the field, things were not that difficult for you because of the language.

The first three months were difficult because I was staying at a hotel. I didn’t have friends and didn’t know anyone, until I met a guy from Chile named Victor Mella. He organised us a house and from there things got better.

Were you not sad when you found out that you had to leave United States? It was one of the saddest moments of my career, because I felt that I still had a lot to offer to the club and the League. But there was nothing I could have done, the situation was out of my hands. I was on national team duty for the match against Angola when I received a call from Bra J telling me that I need to pack all my stuff and leave the MLS. After that I moved to China, where I met Mark Williams. Mark made my life easy in China and I’m grateful for that. In my team, we had two translators because the coach couldn’t speak Mandarin as well, he was South Korean.

How was your playing experience in China?

My biggest issue in China was that the club didn’t meet Jomo Cosmos’ transfer fee demands. It was then agreed that I had to join them on loan – Bra J was expecting a lot of money because I was playing for the national team and on top of my game. The agent that did the deal was not honest as well, we agreed on the bonus, but everything changed afterwards. I asked to speak to the club owner, and it took me almost the whole season to finally meet him. That was very bad. My bonus fee was really bad, I could fit the whole amount inside a small envelope (ha, ha, ha). So, I got on the phone with Bra J and told him that I wanted to come to South Africa.

What are the biggest regrets and highlights of your career?

My biggest highlight is playing against Kaizer Chiefs at Ellis Park. That was a great team with Thabo Mooki and the late Thabang Lebese. My biggest regret is not being able to stay longer overseas, I feel that I could have done much better. The lessons that I’ve learned from football are one of the reasons I decided to start my academy Mzansi Rangers. I want to share my knowledge and experience with youngsters so that they can become footballers that we were.