Ex-Orlando Pirates and Bafana Bafana goalkeeper Moeneeb Josephs has slammed Cape Town City FC for ‘disrespecting’ Thulani Serero.
The highly-rated midfielder has returned to the Betway Premiership after having a successful career overseas for over 10 years.
As confirmed by CT City coach Muhsin Ertugral, the ex-Bafana Bafana star Serero recently completed a move to the Citizens for the second round of the 2024/25 campaign. The club believes the playmaker’s experience and quality will significantly strengthen their squad.
During his time abroad, the 34-year-old played for clubs such as Vittese, Al Jazira, Khor Fakkan and Ajax Amsterdam, where he impressed.
Before moving away from the SA top flight, the skilful winger made a name for himself in the colours of Ajax Cape Town, now known as Cape Town Spurs. At Ajax, Serero made 71 appearances across all competitions, scored 17 goals and provided 14 assists.
Serero’s impressive performances with the Urban Warriors saw him win the 2010/11 PSL Footballer of the Season award.
Meanwhile, Serero was training with CT City in the past few weeks under the guidance of Muhsin Ertuğral before signing with the club.
JOSEPHS QUESTIONS CITY’S DECISION TO PUT SERERO UNDER ASSESSMENT
Moeneeb Josephs has questioned the decision to put Serero on trial, stating that it’s disrespectful to make a player of Serero’s calibre go through assessment.
“I’ve seen the videos of Serero training at Cape Town City; it’s disappointing to see him get such treatment; why must a player of his calibre go on trial? That’s so disrespectful,” Josephs said on Soccer Beat Podcast.
“But I think it goes back to the type of coaches we have in South Africa; when you bring a senior player of that quality and experience, some of them always feel threatened; they want to stamp their authority and say ‘you’re not going to be the senior player you think you are’.
“That’s what I experienced when Benni McCarthy came to Orlando Pirates; some coaches feel threatened and insecure. So Serero should be respected, he’s a quality player and he has put South Africa on the map and represented us very well. To come back at his age, he should be honoured because, ultimately, that’s where he grew up.”
In the same conversation, another former Pirates player, Lebohang Mokoena, shared the same sentiment on the treatment Serero got at CT City.
“I agree with Moeneeb in terms of the treatment the player got. Coming from so many top clubs in Europe, I think he should be given the respect.”
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