Former Orlando Pirates star Patrick Maswanganyi has weighed in on the fan criticism aimed at Kaizer Chiefs youngsters Mfundo Vilakazi and Mduduzi Shabalala, urging supporters to ease the pressure on rising talent in the Betway Premiership.
Maswanganyi, who currently plays in Bahrain for Al-Khaldiya SC, is back in Mzansi during the FIFA international break to spend time with his family.
Speaking at a media engagement organised by the South African Football Journalists’ Association [SAFJA] on Monday night, the 28-year-old reflected on his close bond with Vilakazi, the harsh treatment young players face in the Betway Premiership, and his childhood allegiances in Soweto.
During his stint with the Buccaneers, ‘Tito’ won over the Ghost with his trademark trickery, flair, and quick feet. Shortly after, a player cut from a similar streetwise cloth emerged in Chiefs’ Vilakazi in Soweto, injecting fresh excitement into local matchdays.
According to the Bafana Bafana international, his admiration for Vilakazi dates back to the township football circuit long before the youngster broke into the senior setup at Naturena.
“We speak, and we are very close,” Maswanganyi said. “He calls me sometimes, and I also call him. I watched him play in Tembisa before he went to the first team. I told my friend that this boy is very special and one day he’s going to play for a big team. But I just didn’t know that he was already in Chiefs’ development ranks at that time.”
MASWANGANYI CALLS FOR PATIENCE WITH VILAKAZI AND SHABALALA
While delighted to see Vilakazi making his mark in the top flight, Maswanganyi voiced frustration at how quickly supporters turn on developing talent when things don’t go to plan. He stressed that youngsters need backing rather than hostility.
“My thing is for fans to take it easy, especially on young players that are coming through the ranks,” Maswanganyi explained.
“Sometimes you see Mfundo Vilakazi playing, trying his best, but not doing well in a game, and then you see a lot of fans speaking badly about a player who is still very young for the team they support.”
To drive his point home, Maswanganyi cited Chiefs’ recent 2-1 Carling Knockout Cup quarter-final victory over Siwelele FC in Polokwane, where parts of the crowd demanded that Shabalala be substituted immediately after he missed a penalty.
“It’s really not good because these are players who still need to grow. There are senior players in the team who can handle that kind of criticism much better than youngsters,” he continued.
“I watched Chiefs’ game and saw Mdu miss a penalty, and the fans started signalling for him to be substituted. Minutes later, he won another penalty, and the team got back into the game. Imagine if they had taken him off right after the miss. They probably wouldn’t have scored, and they might have lost the game. The fans need to encourage young players; we need them to grow, as they are going to help Bafana in future.”
“We need to protect them, love them and appreciate them because they can change South African football. They still have to compete in the FIFA World Cup and AFCON; these are the types of players who can win us trophies.”
‘I’M A CHIEFS FAN, BUT PIRATES WAS MY DREAM’
In a candid moment during the session, Maswanganyi also opened up about his childhood loyalties, admitting that although he grew up supporting Amakhosi, Pirates was always the only local club he dreamed of representing.
“I’ve always told my friends, even when I was at SuperSport United for trials, every training session, I would always tell my friends that I want to play for Pirates,” Maswanganyi revealed. “So, it’s been my dream club… I’ve always wanted to play for Pirates.
“I’m a Kaizer Chiefs fan, but I always knew that playing for Pirates would be great for me in terms of how they played and watching the players they had before. When I went to Pirates, I told myself that that was the only club I would play for in South Africa, and that’s where I would end my football at.”
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