PITSO Mosimane does not remember if he was paid a bonus when he won his first league title as a player while still with Jomo Cosmos in 1987.
But the Mamelodi Sundowns coach s players have no such problems. Instead, they have 10 million reasons to wear the widest grins for the remainder of this month, following their win in domestic football s Holy Grail this week. Mosimane revealed that Sundowns mining magnate owner Patrice Motsepe would continue his tradition of matching the PSL title s R10-million winners cheque in order to award it to his players and the club s technical team.
Those were humble beginnings [winning the league title with Cosmos in 1987], and were a stepping stone to where we are now,” Mosimane said. At the moment, I cannot complain about my life in football. I can take my children to school, my life is a bit different. It could have been worse, and I appreciate that. But I work hard to be where I am.” Mosimane said Motsepe s decision to award the entire prize money to the team also served as an incentive to convince other players employed elsewhere to join Sundowns. You change your life when you come to Sundowns,” said Mosimane. You have a chance to improve yourself as a person because you cannot be in the same space when you are working. You need to move up a little bit. You start to have responsibilities, you have a family, you have children, they are going to school, you have school fees, you know the story. You ve got to be able to pay for all that. Your life changes also. That is a good thing and you end up having a better life.”
He cited the example of midfielder Asavela Mbekile (29), who joined the newly crowned Pretoria champions from Moroka Swallows two years ago, with a lower profile than he now has. All his life, he played in the first division. Then he went to Moroka Swallows and then he eventually got to us,” he said. I m so happy to see where the boy is now. There is nothing wrong with that, he is driving a nice BMW and has bought a new house, his first house. But that is what we want to see with all the boys. That is the importance of playing professional football and playing at a high level in the country. Outgoing midfielder Bongani Zungu was another player who completed an amazing transformation, and was now on his way to Vitoria de Guimaraes after agreeing to a two-year deal with the Portugal side at the beginning of the year.
You know, Zungu didn t have a car when he came to us from University of Pretoria [in 2013]. We are talking about a boy who is now a millionaire. Those are things that people do not look at positively when it comes to Sundowns. They say, ahhh, you are going to Sundowns, you are going to destroy your career But look at Bongani Zungu, look at Mbekile now.” Mosimane said the club availed financial advisors to help players make informed decisions about investing.
Source : Sunday World
