Former much travelled PSL defender Japie Motale has voiced his concern over former players who shy away from working a normal 7am -to-4pm job.
Usually, retired players tend to become coaches and in South Africa there are several great coaches who are flourishing following a glittering career as footballers. However, Motale notes that not every player can or will end up in the coaching industry and is concerned that a lot of ex-players don’t want to work in jobs that are not associated with football.
Motale, who is currently working at Tshwane Municipality, has insisted that ex-players must think of their families and stop waiting for teams to hire them. As Motale correctly points out, teams have limited space to accommodate all the ex-players who exist.
“My plea to former soccer players that are out of work is that it is not wrong to work at a retail store like Shoprite for example. There is nothing wrong with them working in a 7am to 4 pm type of job.” Motale told TK Solutions.
“It is not wrong to work at a Total Sport. It will never be wrong even to drive a taxi. Our problem as former players we are in denial and our selfishness becomes a problem to our kids,”
“The thing is, not all of us will end up in the football industry. We will never all be able to end up in the coaching industry. Somehow, somewhere, we need to take a different route to survive. But because of our pride and our egos, our kids are suffering. Our kids are suffering and saying my father is waiting to become a coach, they go to school without a jersey which is not fair.
“But if you can take that Pick ‘n Pay job, the children will eat. But because us ex-players think that we owe people an expensive life that is not there, our children are suffering. I always tell players that if something is not going well, go home where you will be safe because your people haven’t seen you growing up in Sandton.
“We can’t all be coaches. Let’s say you played for Pirates, ask yourself, how are you going to be hired by Pirates, there are many former players who also want to be there? For example, there is Jerry Sikhosane and Dan Malesela just too name just two.
“You can’t stay at home and say you are waiting for Pirates to hire you. Stop with the denials and go to work for your family. We end up sleeping under the bridges because of our pride.”
Also Read: Why Portia Modise Is Not Worried About Banyana Job
