“Everyone thought leaving Orlando Pirates was an easy decision for me, but honestly, it was one of the most difficult decisions I have ever had to make in my football career.
People only see what happens on the football pitch. They don’t always understand what players go through behind the scenes. I was receiving a lot of criticism on social media, and although I understood that criticism comes with being a professional footballer, things became difficult when my family started suffering because of those comments.
“My family means everything to me. Seeing the people I love affected by things happening in football was painful. Sometimes people make comments without thinking about how those words affect the families of the players. I could handle criticism myself, but watching my family go through that situation was something completely different.
“There were moments when my family wanted me to consider walking away from football because of everything that was happening. I had to think carefully about my future and, most importantly, their well-being.
“I eventually felt that moving away and putting some distance between myself and that environment would give my family the peace they deserved. Their mental health was important to me, and I couldn’t continue pretending that everything was fine when things were becoming difficult behind the scenes.
“I will always appreciate Orlando Pirates for the opportunities they gave me. I respect the club, the technical team, my former teammates and the supporters. Football is my passion, and I will never forget the experiences I had during my time there.
“Sometimes, as a footballer, you have to make difficult decisions that people might not understand. But at the end of the day, family comes first. I needed to protect the people closest to me and make a decision that would allow us to move forward.”
💔 SOURCE: Based on the reported SAFJA interview account. The first-person wording is an editorial adaptation, not a verified verbatim transcript.
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