Polokwane City coach Phuti Mohafe has opened up about how disruptive it was planning for the 2024/25 season with attention on stars like Oswin Appollis and Thabang Matuludi.
The duo was instrumental in the Limpopo side’s return season to topflight, helping them finish in eighth position with 39 points last term.
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That drew attention of big clubs with Appollis on the wanted list of sides like Esperance in Tunisia and Soweto giants Kaizer Chiefs while right-back Matuludi was said to be wanted by cup kings Orlando Pirates, though both players have since remained at Rise and Shine.
Mohafe spoke to iDiski Times writer Lethabo Kganyago in edition 177 of the newspaper admitting that the distraction was more so on the coach as he was training players and wasn’t sure if they were going to stick around.
“It was a disturbing factor because you are training someone whom you are not sure when will he be leaving,” Mohafe told iDiski Times.
“And the only thing that helped us was to speak to the boys and to get their minds on if they are going or they are staying.
City didn’t go far in both the season opening’s MTN8 and the Carling Knockout Cup competitions but currently sit third on the Betway Premiership log with 13 points from six matches. The coach says what’s more important is that they maintain a top eight spot, or they would have failed in their mandate.
“What we need to do is to keep the top eight status and not anything lower than that,” added Mohafe.
“So, if we go below number eight then we would have failed ourselves as a team. We would have failed ourselves as a technical team. I would have failed this team as a coach, and I would have failed the management and the chairman of the team if we go below position eight.”
