ANDREA Fileccia might not have known what he was letting himself in for allowing Belgian compatriot Tom Saintfiet to lure him to Free State Stars with a promise of exotic travels and top-flight football oneand-a-half years ago. Fileccia lined up for Belgium s Under-17, Under19 and Under-21 teams alongside Chelsea goalkeeper Thibault Courtois and midfielders Kevin de Bruyne of Manchester City and Romelu Lukaku of Everton. Now he plies his trade on the rough pitch, in front of a corrugated iron main stand, of hot, dry and tiny Goble Park in Bethlehem. Even Fileccia of Italian descent, and who still has close family in Naples seems to find it hard to explain exactly how he got there.
I came because of Saintfiet,” the striker said this week. He d seen me play five or six games [for UR La Louviere Centre in Belgium s third division]. When he came to South Africa he gave me a call and asked me to come out for a week just to see the team and everything.
At first I said maybe South Africa is a bit far from Belgium. Then I said, OK, it s just about football I came for trials and [Stars general manager] Rantsi Mokoena saw me play and said, OK, we want to give you a contract
Maybe there was some adventure element. But for me, I also just thought maybe this was my destiny.”
A former Feyenoord Rotterdam youth product, like Kermit Erasmus Fileccia was loaned to satellite club Excelsior in 2010, a season after the Orlando Pirates striker's spell there.
In a twist neither could have foreseen, the Belgian leads the South African by four goals this season in the PSL. Going into the weekend s matches, Fileccia who travelled to Belgium to resolve a passport issue and missed Stars game yesterday at home to Jomo Cosmos was joint-top scorer with Black Aces Collins Mbesuma on six goals.
Yet, after a bright start under the intelligent but eccentric Saintfiet last season, Fileccia s safari into the land of mielie farmers and Bloemfontein Celtic fans almost turned into a nightmare. Saintfiet was fired in November after 10 games. Fileccia
increasingly viewed as that coach s charlatan import added one more game to his first four last season.
I think it was because of the coaches,” Fileccia said. Their tactics were defensive and did not suit my game. It was very tough.
I live in Bethlehem. To be honest, it s difficult for me. In other places players maybe socialise after a game. In Bethlehem it s not possible, so it s just about football.
I never knew what the problem was because the coaches never explained it to me. But I also knew most coaches will be there for six months, then there is a change.
In September the board decided on that coach [Ernst Middendorp], and then everything changed.”
Strong-running and skilful, Fileccia s goal return has come in seven matches since German Middendorp replaced Kinnah Phiri.
Stars have gone from last place to 10th. If such form continues, perhaps a return to Europe is next, or SA s big teams might come knocking.
If some opportunity would arise, that would be OK. But now I don t think of that. I think of my game ...”