Tshegofatso Mabasa has given an honest account of the period at Orlando Pirates when he found himself frozen out of the starting line-up, with the striker admitting it left him confused given his belief that he was still delivering for the team.
Mabasa’s game-time at Pirates dried up before he was eventually sent out on loan to Stellenbosch, with reports at the time suggesting concerns over his work rate and pressing were behind his fall down the pecking order.
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But speaking to iDiski Times exclusively, Mabasa pushed back on that narrative.
“I felt I was still delivering”
“It was a very confusing period for me, I won’t lie… For me, I felt I was still delivering, regardless of whatever is happening off the ball, I was delivering,” Mabasa said of losing his place in the Pirates squad.
He was equally firm in defending his defensive contribution, pointing to previous seasons as proof that his approach to pressing hadn’t changed.
“Even in the actions where it’s off the ball, it’s not like I wasn’t pressing, it was the same I could say for maybe two seasons back, when coach Jose was there, we also had to press at the time and I was pressing.
“So why now is it a different story? Hence why I saw it was a very confusing period for me, but I had to remain strong, confident in my abilities and continue to show up whether it’s in training or in friendlies, which I believe I did, I did my part.
“It’s just unfortunate my opportunity never came again in the season.”
Despite the setback, Mabasa says he leaned on self-belief to get through a difficult stretch of his career, choosing to keep working rather than let the situation affect his standards. That resilience would eventually lead him to Stellenbosch on loan – a spell he has previously credited with helping prepare him for his next move, to Fes.
Story by Lorenz Kohler (@Lorenz_KO).
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