Former Kaizer Chiefs lethal striker Pollen Ndlanya has paid his respects and passed a message of condolences to the family of erstwhile Orlando Pirates defender Papi Khomane.
Khomane died in a car accident on Saturday.
Tributes have been pouring in for Khomane, who died in a crash with his mother Rita and his brother-in-law Norman Nkosi in the crash.
After hanging up his boots, Khomane became a football analyst but later moved on to focus on his religious calling.
Khomane and “Trompies”, as Ndlanya is fondly known, created a great rivalry between themselves during the Soweto derbies in the late 1990s.
Khomane was as tough as a teak defender who took no prisoner. He had been mentored at the academy of hard tackling, Jomo Cosmos, before he signed for the Buccaneers.
So, many a striker knew they were in for a tough shift whenever Khomane was assigned to mark them.
Ndlanya himself was a prolific goal-poacher who had returned to Amakhosi for his third spell in 1998 after a successful stint in the Turkish league in Europe, where he played for Bursaspor and Goztepe.
“It’s a big loss to South African football and I say condolences to his family and friends, may they find the strength in these difficult times,” a heartbroken Ndlanya told Sunday World.
“It is also sad news to the legends and those who were able to play with him or against him. Mzansi has lost a brilliant football brain in Papi.”
Aggressive gentleman
“I will not forget the rivalry we had on the field; it was intense. Papi was always a gentleman and always smiling, but what people did not know was that he was aggressive and kicked his opponents a lot.
“He was very disciplined and very quick. I was strong on the ball, and I’d use my strength to protect the ball.
“I remember two matches I played against him, the media built a hype around Pollen v Papi. I was motivated to perform well and Papi wanted to keep me away from scoring.
“The first game was at Ellis Park Stadium and it ended 1-1. I think Jerry Sikhosana scored the goal [against] us. Those Soweto derbies produced fireworks.
“The second derby was in the Rothmans Cup semi-finals at FNB Stadium in 1998, and we beat Pirates 3-1.
“During our physical battles, Papi was taken off to be attended by a medical team, and I scored while he was out.
“He was very upset because he was man-marking me very tight, he would even follow me to the toilet. Pirates fans were angry and accused me of causing Papi’s injury deliberately.
“I scored the second one with a header and we won the match. Such was the rivalry and intensity in those matches – we both wanted to win for our supporters and our clubs.
“May Papi rest in peace, and I want to thank him for these memories that will last for a lifetime.”
