Soccer legend Steve Sekano believes it is time for soccer stars to change the game and prepare for life after the sport.
He said the industry believed in the “spend now” mentality.
A tearful Sekano said it was heartbreaking to see former footballers of his time indigent and the cycle continues with other generations like a “curse”.
The former Moroka Swallows footie said his non-profit organisation, Steve Sekano Foundation, had been trying to help former players with necessities such as food. He believes current football stars can break the cycle by taking advantage of financial
education made available by their respective teams.
He said finance workshops should also be made available at lower league clubs where most of the stars start out as this would give them an understanding of the purpose of money before they have a lot of it.
“Financial education is made widely available in the clubs but I think the main challenge is that it is not mandatory for the footballers to attend these workshops, and trust me, the coach cannot even say otherwise if one of the players decides to up and leave or not attend at all.
“Everyone needs to understand that football is a short career because you need to start early and retire early. These days you are even lucky if you still play after the age of 30.
“This means that players get a lot of money before they actually understand the need for it and continue the notorious lifestyle, where they flash expensive cars, houses, clothes and alcohol, then spend the rest of the money at clubs,” said Sekano.
“Instead of a player saving enough at their peak to secure their future with a house and a car fully owned by them, they opt for renting. Also, when you are at your peak you never realise that your soccer life will end and the money will not come in as it used to.
“The field is always looking for fresh blood and you can’t stay fresh forever.”
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