Former Bafana Bafana goalkeeper and Orlando Pirates coach Roger de Sa has come to the defence of beleaguered AmaZulu’s last line of defence, Veli Mothwa.
In the last two weeks, the Usuthu goal-minder committed two silly mistakes in as many matches, one that almost caused the SA national team a match and another one that resulted in his club losing a game in injury time.
De Sa, who also played for Moroka Swallows and Wits University in his salad days, is a well-travelled coach who fully understands what the national team shot-stopper is going through.
After a rather impressive coaching stint in the PSL with clubs such as Bidvest Wits, Santos, Pirates and Ajax Cape Town, De Sa broke barriers when he worked as Carlos Queiroz’s assistant in the national teams of Egypt, Iran and Qatar.
“Sometimes you make mistakes. It’s just like most outfield players, unfortunately he conceded goals. It’s the nature of sport and everybody goes through a bad patch. I think this is temporary and we should not lynch the guy or destroy his career. But it depends on him, how quickly he dusts himself off.
“As a former keeper, I remember committing mistakes, maybe not as bad. The game has changed drastically, and it is too fast these days. You need to be on your toes and be alert because what may seem like a routine save, the ball can end up in the net and leave you embarrassed. It’s important how he deals with this setback,” he added.
Another retired Bafana stalwart Andre Arendse also gave his word of support to Mothwa.
“I have been there and I know. It happened to me at the biggest stage in football. We’ve got to protect him! I know what he is going through. Whether that’s keeping him playing or giving him a rest, talking to him and rebuilding his confidence.
“You cannot feel any worse than Veli is feeling now,” said Arendse, who was in the goalposts when Bafana won the 1996 Africa Cup of Nations.
Arendse made a schoolboy error in the 2002 Fifa World Cup in Korea-Japan against Spain when he fumbled what appeared like a routine catch and the ever-dangerous Raul thankfully slotted the ball into the net. Many Bafana fans have not forgiven Arendse for the blunder.
