Former University of Pretoria head coach Kwanele Kopo has broken his silence on playing a pivotal role in reviving the football career of Orlando Pirates attacker Oswin Appollis.
Kopo was part of the technical set-up who scouted the 25-year-old Bafana Bafana international for now defunct SuperSport United’s academy which eventually led to his progression into the first team.
Things however took a twist for the worst when Appollis was released from the team after being deemed surplus to requirements by the incoming new technical staff.
Kopo and Appollis both left Matsatsantsa but got reunited almost over a year later at Pretoria Callies after the player had given up on football.
The former Chippa United mentor has since revealed how he had to beg Appollis to return to football, a decision that has paid dividend since.
“Oswin, we scouted him at SuperSport while I was still at SuperSport for the academy from Cape Town, from Ajax,” Kopo said on the Arena Sports Show with Mahlatse Mphahlele.
“Very talented youngster. We felt that he fitted within the model at SuperSport and the vision of SuperSport to progress youngsters. Deservedly so, he was promoted to the senior team.
“But, obviously, with the change of coaches in the first team and the change of style, he was deemed surplus to requirements which was sad. It was really sad to see him go.
“I had the opportunity to go to Pretoria Callies and the President Mr [Moses] Malada recruited me and the first player I thought of was Oswin.
“Oswin had played for South Africa at Under 20 World Cup and after that he just disappeared.
“I think it was over 18 months of sitting at home, I called him and I said ‘Oswin, come and play’ and he told me flat he doesn’t want to play football, straight.
“He said, ‘coach, I’m done with football’. And sometimes football does that to us. You get such bad experiences you become discouraged.
“And I pleaded with him I said, ‘Oswin, you played national U20. Beside your talent, you played South Africa U20, you’re still young. You cannot disappear from football’.
“It took me weeks and weeks of phoning him. He was in Cape Town and me in Jo’burg, and ultimately, I decided to phone his mother.
“But I explained to Oswin and said, ‘give me one season boy. Come here, give me one season and if you’re not in professional football after one season, you can go back to Cape Town’. That’s a deal I made with him.
“And I told him you’re not gonna earn a lot of money. You’re not gonna earn what you earn in the PSL, you gonna come here and earn peanuts, but that is not the objective.
“The objective is give me an opportunity to help you. And he came and he was fat, so you have to give credit to people I worked with.
“When the chairman saw him, he said ‘sign him coach’.”
Appollis currently holds the 2026 Betway Premiership Midfielder of the Season award having notched up nine goals and six assists after last season.
His performances for the national team have equally been impressive. He recently provided a hat-trick of assists as Bafana thrashed Eritrea 5-0 in a 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier tie last month.