With a wealth of football experience behind him and a passion for Alexandra in his heart, Maimane Phiri is finding future stars in the township’s youth.
HAVING conquered the local soccer scene, Maimane Phiri, the former Bafana Bafana midfielder, is unearthing new football talent in Alexandra.
Coach Maimane Phiri keeps a close eye on a playerCoach Maimane Phiri keeps a close eye on a playerNow the head coach of the Vodacom League newcomers, FC Alex, a team he established in 2002, Phiri has vowed to take the development of soccer to another level.
“There is a lot of raw talent that must be nurtured,” he says. “We are building a team that will produce competent football players who will make a meaningful contribution to South African soccer.”
He officially took up full-time coaching in 2009 when he retired from top-flight football.
“The team provides youngsters with a platform to unleash their talent. We want to develop a crop of youngsters who are able to play attractive football, so that they can be spotted by Premier Soccer League [PSL] teams. These are the boys who must play for South Africa’s under-23 national squad.”
Speaking during a training session at Marlboro Stadium, Phiri says FC Alex will not stay for long in the lower division, as he dreams of coaching the team into the National First Division and eventually the PSL.
“We will take it one day at a time. Right now we are preparing for the opening of the season, and we are putting a lot of effort in our training sessions. I am positive that we will gain promotion to the National First Division come the end of the season because a lot teams do not know our style of playing and that might work in our favour,” says Maimane.
FC Alex is made up of a total of 24 players from the age of 13 upwards, who have been selected from various schools in Alexandra and other local townships. “From time to time we conduct trials in local schools in search of new talent. There are a lot of talented youngsters who want to be given a chance to showcase their potential,” he adds.
FC AlexFuture Bafana stars: FC Alex hard at trainingOne such youngster is 21-year-old Lesego Lerolebje, who recently joined the team. “I have been with FC Alex for almost three weeks now and I believe it is the start of greater things to come in my football career. We are blessed to have someone of the experience of Maimane, who played for big PSL teams.”
An experienced fellow indeed is Phiri; in his day, he played football in Turkey, for teams such as Genclerbirligi, Samsunspor and Vanspor, and in South Africa he played for Jomo Cosmos, Ajax Cape Town, Supersport United and Moroka Swallows.
He also represented South Africa in the national squad, Bafana Bafana, in the 1998 FIFA World Cup in France.
Phiri, a darling to the community of Alexandra, has always been passionate about developing the community, which is characterised by poverty, high levels of unemployment, crime and drugs.
He founded a soccer tournament in the township in 2001, played annually in June and named after him, the Maimane Phiri Games.
The tournament was established with the sole purpose of giving the youth an opportunity to show off their talent and to encourage sportsmanship in the community.
“This tournament unites the community of Alexandra, people here love and appreciate football and it is also a chance for the up-and-coming stars to shine.
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