The legendary Eugene Zwane, father of Samkelo Zwane, has shared his biggest fear about his son as the Kaizer Chiefs midfielder continues his ascent to stardom in the South African elite league.
Last campaign, Chiefs starlet faced limited playing time under coach Molefi Ntseki. After disappointing results, Ntseki was replaced by Cavin Johnson. But the team’s struggles continued, leading to a finish outside the top eight.
The 22-year-old made only eight appearances in all competitions. In all the matches, he came in as a late substitute. This season, after three league matches, Zwane has played one game under new coach Nasreddine Nabi.
WHAT EUGENE ZWANE SAID TO SAMKELO ZWANE
Samkelo’s father, Eugene, an Orlando Pirates legend, says he advised his son to avoid distractions by keeping his circle very small. By doing that, he will focus more on his game and work hard.
“The most unfortunate thing about sports people is they interact with a lot of people, and family might not be there. That’s my biggest fear, the distractions that are likely to take place,” Zwane told FARPost.
“That’s why I try to tell him, ‘Be careful of distractions, even if it’s friends’. So, keep the circle very small and rely heavily on the members of the family. Those are people given to you by God. They will always have the best interest at heart most of the time.
“’Avoid distractions, focus on the sport—it’s your career, it’s your job, you have chosen it—and work as hard as possible’.
“Last week, I was just saying to him, ‘Look how competitive it has become; there is no guarantee that you’re going in there’. Nabi will do that deliberately because he wants to enforce a culture of competitiveness. Nobody is going to be guaranteed a place. He has a coach that seems to like him which is a plus, but its not going to come for free.”
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