Lamola preaches gospel for players, slams Safa
Former Kaizer Chiefs midfielder Zacharia Lamola has described the football field as his pulpit.
“Computer”, as the legend is popularly known in football circles, answered his calling as a preacher after retiring from football. Lamola had been surviving on donations from people and organisations that support the work he has been doing in the community, helping youngsters stay out of trouble by introducing them to sport.
“I had this calling when I was still at Chiefs, I would pray for my team-mates before we went on to the field to train and before each game. I was trained in what is called sports ministry. This is where we praise the talents and the giver of the talents to find a balance,” explained Lamola.
He decided to form a football club called Computer Stars after he hung up his boots – the name was later changed to Free State Stars by new owner Mike Mokoena.
The Soweto-born Lamola has revived the name in Soweto as a junior team aimed at mentoring teenage players to reach for the stars under the guidance of the church he started.
The 68-year-old believes former players need to be given a chance to impart their knowledge and experience to the new generation of players.
“As former footballers, we are channelled into coaching, not administration. They can argue that some of us can’t get into administration – that’s true, but some former players have those qualities while some can coach.”
Lamola has a grievance with the way the South African Football Association (Safa) has handled matters concerning the structures that govern the Legends League in Johannesburg.
“We strongly feel Safa belongs to all of us. We are not reaching the mandate set for national teams, it means there is a problem with the way things are done.
“I have been overseas and I can safely say most nations have nowhere near what we have in terms of talent. But we never qualify for tournaments. I belong to Joburg Legends, we wrote to Safa asking them to form one structure for former professional players. Instead of doing that they collaborated with our rival ground – they even get a grant from Safa monthly and we don’t get anything.”
Lamola says the standard of football has dropped and sidelining retiring players and those who have publicly criticised Safa bosses has contributed to this.
“I believe that if you condone your past you are condemning your future, the gap between our generation and the current crop is too wide for words. They need to stop sidelining people that are relevant because of personal matters. If you say football is a business and put everything aside then I am afraid you need to learn from people who have walked this path. People that are in leadership positions are not truly experienced but are connected. Success is based on the selection of leadership.”