How Pirates beat Sundowns’ R1 million bid for Relebohile Mofokeng
As a youth coach and scout, Mandla Qhogi knew that misjudging a player was always a possibility. And sometimes, when a recommendation wasn’t acted on immediately, it was easy to just give up. But Relebohile Mofokeng was different. Qhogi was never going to give up on him, even if it meant persistently knocking on the Iron Duke’s door.
His initial glimpse of the talented Grade 11 student happened in the Vaal, during Vino Snap’s tournament. It wasn’t an assignment from Orlando Pirates, as his club lacked an active youth team at the time. This was a pure act of passion for the game. And he had no idea he was on the cusp of unearthing South African football’s next sensation.
“I was invited to a tournament – Vino Snap Tournament in the Vaal. It was under 20, he called it Best of the Best. At the time, Pirates were no longer participating in the GDL [Gauteng Development League],” Qhogi tells FARPost. “We didn’t have teams in the GDL leagues. “So I went there in the Vaal, watched a player and got interested.”
Just like any scout would do, former PSL coach Qhogi enquired about the youngster. He later learnt that he was with the Transnet/SAFA School of Excellence.
“Normally, the deals are done by the chairman. We can scout players. We bring the information to the club. And then the club will act on that information because there’s a relationship between them and the School of Excellence. It was the principal and the chairman who were dealing with it,” explains Qhogi.
THE ORLANDO PIRATES CUP PERFORMANCE
When deals are handled at the very top, there’s often little a youth coach can do. Qhogi, who spent 18 years in the Buccaneers’ development structures, could only keep hoping.
Due to the chairman’s busy schedule, there was little movement on the deal. Then, by some stroke of footballing fate, another opportunity arose to bring the youngster closer to the club. It didn’t matter that it wouldn’t be through him; the boy just had to don the skull and crossbones.
At the annual Pirates Cup, where the School of Excellence fielded their swift attacker, something significant happened. Every single one of Pirates’ scouts independently picked out the youngster. This meant the kid’s name was, yet again, presented to the chairman, this time with the unanimous backing of the entire scouting department, not just Qhogi’s.
“All the other coaches brought the name of Rele because he was outstanding in the tournament,” adds Qhogi.
Following that tournament, Pirates tasked Mxolisi Mngomezulu with engaging the School of Excellence. ‘Rele’ was not the only kid they were eyeing. There was Jabu Mokone, Cemran Dansin and Kutlwano Letlhaku, among others.
“We went to the School of Excellence. They gave us permission to engage the parents. They asked that, after consulting with the parents, we should come back and give them feedback. We went to the parents and then afterwards went to the School of Excellence. The School wrote to the club, and then there was an exchange of communication, but it was also delayed.”
SUNDOWNS WERE INTERESTED
Despite the positive engagement, it still took long to finalise the deal. With negotiations dragging, news hit the Bucs camp: the youngster had trained with Sundowns. Masandawana were clearly moving to secure his signature. The Buccaneers had to immediately ramp up their efforts to bring the boy in.
“There was news that Rele went to train with Sundowns. Sundowns were interested in him, and they were going to sign him. We had to accelerate our pursuit for the player. We went to his parents again, and they gave a go-ahead, but they said they will speak to the player. It turned out he was interested in coming to us. We were able to finalise the deal.”
Sundowns had reportedly set their sights on him at an Engen tournament. Qhogi stated that the recently crowned South African champions were willing to pay a hefty sum, as much as R1 million, for the young player.
“Because in that Engen, he was outstanding, everyone was talking about him. But already he was signed by us. I believe there was an offer from Sundowns for R1 million to give to the School of Excellence for the player.”
But it was a bit too late; the Bucs already had a deal in place with the School.
WHAT GRABBED MANDLA QHOGI’S ATTENTION
Qhogi, who holds CAF A and UEFA C licenses, explains what first grabbed his attention. “Rele can solve football problems. Just give him the ball to run at opponents and bring them closer to him. And at the end, he will unleash a final pass that his teammate will score. He will always draw attention from the opposition while he’s freeing his teammates.
“With Rele, I think he has a God given talent. I still want to hear somebody say, I taught Rele this or that because what he does with the ball, it’s very special.”
He distinctly remembers that first training session, even recalling the exact words he spoke to his colleagues at the time.
“When he first came to us, I told my colleagues that you see a player like Rele, he’s not a player that you need to restrict,” he explains. From the moment Jose Riveiro gave him an opportunity, the Vaal-born prodigy has soared. His remarkable talent has yielded nine goals and 14 assists in his first two professional seasons. And his creative flair has also secured him a place in Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos’s squad. Qhogi expresses no surprise at the links to European clubs.
“And I believe he can go very far. But it’s up to us as Pirates and us as people of South Africa, to give him our blessing, to go try it overseas while it’s still early. I think he’s ready. Sometimes you cannot be ready when you are not getting that opportunity. Go there and let’s see what you can do. What you can offer.”
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