Sekhukhune United head of development Alex Bapela has shared his thoughts on the club’s first-team squad, revealing the one thing he’s not happy about.
Bapela joined Sekhukhune in December 2023 from the now-defunct Dondol Stars to spearhead the club’s development structures in a bid to integrate more players into the senior team.
The former Mamelodi Sundowns captain and assistant coach joined the Limpopo-based side from Dondol Stars, which was competing in the ABC Motsepe League before selling their status.
Bapela is in his second stint with Babina Noko, having served as the Technical Director [TD] during the 2020/21 season while the club was in the second-tier league – Motsepe Foundation Championship.
Over two years since his return to Sekhukhune, Bapela has bemoaned the lack of development players in Babina Noko’s senior team.
Sekhukhune United currently have one of the most experienced squads in the Premiership, with a handful of senior players coming from Mamelodi Sundowns, Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs. Notable figures include former Amakhosi defender Daniel Cardoso [36), as well as ex-Pirates midfielders Linda Mntambo [35] and Thabang Monare (35), alongside Keletso Makgalwa [28] and Lesedi Kapinga [29], who both played for Sundowns.
ALEX BAPELA UNHAPPY WITH LACK OF DEVELOPMENT GRADUATES IN SEKHUKHUNE SQUAD
“I’m not happy with that [having fewer development graduates in the first team]; we need to promote more players,” Bapela told FARPost.
“What I’m saying is not to disrespect the players we currently have in our squad because they have done very well for the team. We just need to find the right balance between the young players and experienced players.
“I mean, if you can have [Mbekezeli] Mbokazi at the age of 19 playing for Orlando Pirates and getting Man-of-the-Match performances week in, week out, why can’t we do that?
“So we are looking at such things, and we want to head in the direction where we can have more younger players,” he added.
Meanwhile, the new Sekhukhune coach, Eric Tinkler, recently expressed his concerns with the club’s ageing squad, admitting that his team will need to be refreshed in the near future. Tinkler took over the coaching role a few weeks ago following the surprise sacking of Lehlohonolo Seema.
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