Orlando Pirates striker Tshegofatso Mabasa says the lives of footballers and athletes are not all gold and glamorous with mental health issues rife in modern society.
This week Carling Black Label locked arms with SABC Sport and the Premier Soccer League for a new campaign called the Injury Time Activation.
The crux of the vision is an program to challenged outdated perceptions of masculinity, promote responsible behaviour, and drive action against gender-based violence (GBV).
“It’s a really great program from Carling Black Label and the PSL, I think it will help and benefit a lot of teams and players individually as well, there’s a lot of things players are going through individually – the thing about us as players, we don’t like talking,” Mabasa told SABC Sport.
“We like keeping things in, turning to the wrong things and then ruins our careers at the end of the day. Hopefully with this initiative, it can help us changed our ways and makes us open up a bit more – have someone to that can support you if you never had that chance.
“We’ve had Paul Pogba come out, Gareth Bale come out, the retirement of Eden Hazard, which I could think it could be due to injuries which led to mental problems, these things do exist in athletes’ lives.
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“It’s not all gold and glamorous, the lives we live – it’s very difficult and with this initiative – I think it’s a good initiative and it will help footballers – and athletes throughout the company.”
Last season’s Golden Boot winner has been in the limelight over the past 18 months as he revived his career at one of the biggest clubs in African football and he admits he now has to take on the responsibility to lead in different ways, on and off the pitch as one of ambassadors of the campaign.
“The lessons I’ll be sharing; if I can as a senior player, play an important role in the careers and lives of younger players, the next generations, the Radiopane’s, Nkota’s you know – I feel like I would have done my job as a senior player in this country,” he said.
“Especially through the experiences I’ve been through and gained throughout my years and playing professional football in the country – I think it’s one aspect I can help the next generation in.”
