The Sandton Convention Centre, which is the venue for the Premier Soccer League awards this Sunday, will not be short of men who feel they "deserve" some credit for Moeketsi Sekola's meteoric rise.
Yesterday, Bafana coach Shakes Mashaba said he would not be one of them, but could not resist reminding everyone of his role in nudging this season's Golden Boot award winner in the right direction.
Mashaba has included Sekola in his 22-man squad for the upcoming Cosafa Cup in North West, and the Free State Stars striker is likely to lead the attack for South Africa against Botswana in the quarterfinals on May 24.
"It is surprising that today everyone is talking big about Sekola," Mashaba said. "We, at the national team, called him up before he even scored a goal [Sekola finished the season with 14 strikes]. And now people are not talking when we select him because they used to criticise him, saying he can't play and he keeps kicking the grass."
Sekola, 26, made his Bafana debut in November against Sudan in an Africa Cup of Nations qualifier in Durban, and was given a run four days later away to Nigeria. Mashaba said his technical team were not looking for praise now that the player is on his way to becoming a household name.
"We are not looking for accolades," the coach said. "But people must know we are not sitting here looking one way in terms of our selection. We are looking all over for players and widening our vision."
Mashaba further argued that Sekola's 14 goals did not necessarily mean striker Phumelele Bhengu, who plays for Thanda Royal Zulu in the National First Division and has scored six more, was a better player.
"We should be careful of saying a player in the NFD who scored 10 goals is better than a player in the PSL with eight. The pressure is different in the different levels of competitions."
Despite the opposition sticking with the tried and tested, while Mashaba was left with no choice but to ignore the usual suspects, the coach said he was determined to win the Cosafa Cup.
Sekola delights Shakes
The Sandton Convention Centre, which is the venue for the Premier Soccer League awards this Sunday, will not be short of men who feel they "deserve" some credit for Moeketsi Sekola's meteoric rise.
Yesterday, Bafana coach Shakes Mashaba said he would not be one of them, but could not resist reminding everyone of his role in nudging this season's Golden Boot award winner in the right direction.
Mashaba has included Sekola in his 22-man squad for the upcoming Cosafa Cup in North West, and the Free State Stars striker is likely to lead the attack for South Africa against Botswana in the quarterfinals on May 24.
"It is surprising that today everyone is talking big about Sekola," Mashaba said. "We, at the national team, called him up before he even scored a goal [Sekola finished the season with 14 strikes]. And now people are not talking when we select him because they used to criticise him, saying he can't play and he keeps kicking the grass."
Sekola, 26, made his Bafana debut in November against Sudan in an Africa Cup of Nations qualifier in Durban, and was given a run four days later away to Nigeria. Mashaba said his technical team were not looking for praise now that the player is on his way to becoming a household name.
"We are not looking for accolades," the coach said. "But people must know we are not sitting here looking one way in terms of our selection. We are looking all over for players and widening our vision."
Mashaba further argued that Sekola's 14 goals did not necessarily mean striker Phumelele Bhengu, who plays for Thanda Royal Zulu in the National First Division and has scored six more, was a better player.
"We should be careful of saying a player in the NFD who scored 10 goals is better than a player in the PSL with eight. The pressure is different in the different levels of competitions."
Despite the opposition sticking with the tried and tested, while Mashaba was left with no choice but to ignore the usual suspects, the coach said he was determined to win the Cosafa Cup.
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