JOHANNESBURG – The gods of football have the capacity to bless and curse at the same time, leaving the recipient not knowing whether to either glorify or damn their existence.
Oscarine Masuluke of Baroka FC was the recipient of such a gift this past season.
The towering shot-stopper felt blessed after scoring a cracker of an overhead kicked goal to secure a last minute 1-1 equaliser in a league clash against Orlando Pirates on November 30 last year.
But later on, at the PSL Awards this year, he felt cursed when Siphiwe Tshabalala walked away with the Absa Premiership Goal of the Season award.
Tshabalala, who has now achieved the status of being regarded as a demi-god among zealous Kaizer Chiefs followers who worship his style of play, walked away with the most number of votes, as it was the PSL who decided to have this season’s goal of the season be decided by the fans.
‘Shabba’, as Tshabalala is affectionately known, also acknowledged that Masuleke’s goal was a beauty of a shot. However, he added that he could not be condemning himself over a decision which was out of his hands. The fans had voted in his favour.
“If you recall just a season before this past one,” Tshabalala said, “I scored a cracker of a goal against Free State Stars. However, that goal was never even shortlisted for the goal of the season accolade.
“I never made any complaints about that but just continued working hard. This past season, two of my goals were nominated, a true honour for me really.
“Just before the awards, I even stated that Masuluke had scored a brilliant goal. It’s one of those goals which deserves to be in the archives - a once in a lifetime stunner of a shot where the team were trailing by 1-0, and a goalkeeper presses up to help his team come out with a point.
“However, the people have spoken,” Tshabalala added. “They voted. It was out of my control. And I’m happy to have won the award.”
Speaking in Sandton City midweek where Chiefs were hosting a signing event for their new home and away kit, the Amakhosi veteran midfielder said he hoped the new arrivals at the club would bring them some form of luck going into the new campaign, following two disappointing seasons in which they haven’t produced a single trophy.
“It was disappointing to have finished this last season without any silverware,” Tshabalala said. “There’s just no excuse for this one. We didn’t do well. The new season counts as another opportunity for us to compete for everything that’s on offer.
“Our fans deserve more from us, and that’s understandable because we really need to step it up and bring success back into the team.
“Just looking at the three new signings the team has made, both Bongolethu Jayiya and Philani Zulu were key players in their respective former clubs.
“Teenage Hadebe comes from Zimbabwe and was doing very well for his former side as well. And that’s why they are here. We believe they’ll add value to the team and help us perform a lot better in the new season.”