Andile Mpisane struggles to keep up with Ox Mthethwa Royal AM's Andile Mpisane struggles to keep up with Kaizer Chiefs' Ox Mthethwa during their league encounter in Polokwane last year. Photo: Samuel Shivambu/BackpagePix
Image: Samuel Shivambu/BackpagePix
Oh no! Royal AM’s pending demise could mean that we’re about to lose the footballing genius of “Expensive Number 10” Andile Mpisane.
IOL Sport reported on Wednesday that the club was facing a bleak future after the league’s executive committee resolved to terminate their membership. The decision will be made by the PSL’s board of governors, who will determine whether to uphold the recommendation.
If the club is booted out of the league, the young Mpisane’s football career will surely be over. That will be a massive shame as his ability on the pitch was something that South African football lovers enjoyed watching regularly.
Who can forget how he controlled the midfield when Thwihli Thwahla played Kaizer Chiefs at Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane towards the end of last year?
There was one passage of play that particularly sticks out. In the first half, with Amakhosi running rampant and racking up a 2-0 lead in the first 13 minutes, Royal AM looked to hit back. After receiving a well weighted pass from Jeffrey Dlamini, Mpisane could have sent the ball to striker Sedwyn George, who was well positioned to have a shot at goal. Instead, he bamboozled everyone – his teammates included – with a simple pass back to a teammate.
And when he was off the field, Kaizer Chiefs’ players were in such disarray that they allowed Royal AM to come back and snatch a 2-2 draw. It was genius on Mpisane's part.
Okay, that was sarcasm. Mpisane was often out of his depth, which left his teammates having to do double the work just to cover for him. He wasn’t good enough to be playing against teams such as Kaizer Chiefs.
Mpisane’s football career is all but over. The only reason he was able to make it onto a professional squad playing in the top-flight of South African football was because his mother owned the club and made him the chairman.
His presence on the pitch made a mockery of the South African game, and we should all be glad he won’t be gracing our screens as a footballer anymore.
Perhaps now, with Royal AM’s fate all but sealed, South African football can refocus on nurturing real talent rather than indulging vanity projects. The PSL should be a stage for the best players in the country, not a playground for the privileged.
If there’s any silver lining to this saga, it’s that the league can move forward with a renewed commitment to excellence — where selection is based on ability, not connections. In football, skill should always triumph over status.
IOL Sport
* The views expressed are not necessarily the views of IOL or Independent Media.
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