Pretoria - Once upon a time in South Africa, midfield genius Teko Modise was the king of football, dictating things everywhere - on the pitch and off it.
While doing duty for Orlando Pirates, Modise was on top of the world with sublime displays that made him a household name. He was the envy of his peers, delight of many a football fan and a nightmare for the opposition.
But things fell apart and for two years Modise’s form dipped. As speculation mounted about reasons for the downward spiral in Modise’s career, the playmaker remained mum.
After three years, Modise has broken his silence citing Pirates denying him of a chance to play overseas as the reason behind his poor form that lasted for close to two years.
“It killed everything about me. It killed everything I was working hard for,” said the two-times PSL Footballer of the Year.
“The fact that I did not get an opportunity to go overseas affected my game. People were speculating. People thought it was sponsorships. People had to find something to say about it because I wasn’t saying anything.”
On Modise’s loss of form and reported misdemeanours, Pirates boss Irvin Khoza was quoted as saying: “Modise is not a problem child, he is a child with a problem.”
But Modise answered that charge yesterday. “My regret is allowing Pirates to stand in my way of going overseas. I think I allowed them to do so. I trusted that since I joined the team, they said if an opportunity comes we are not going to stand in your way. They said when opportunity comes, but opportunities came,” said Modise, who says seven teams from seven different countries wanted to lure him.
“I allowed them not to give me an opportunity to go overseas. But it doesn’t bother me anymore because I dealt with it for two years. That’s why over that two years I wasn’t doing well. I was dealing with that.”
The Sundowns captain says his international teammates Benni McCarthy and Steven Pienaar ignited his desire to go overseas as they kept telling him that he had what it takes to make the grade abroad. As his wish to go overseas did not materialise, Modise’s commitment and form declined.
“All I wanted was just a week. Let me go overseas and fail, then come back and play. That’s all I wanted. I just wanted one opportunity even if it was in Vietnam. That never happened and that killed me,” said the man from Diepkloof, Soweto.
“Offers came in from England, Spain, Belgium, Greece and many countries. What made it worse was that coaches and managers of teams were calling me and telling me how negotiations were going.”
So desperate for a chance to play abroad was the 2007 Cosafa Cup Player of the Tournament that he wanted to play anywhere beyond the borders of the continent.
“People thought money was changing me and they thought I was getting big-headed. They thought the fame was getting to me. Honestly there was nothing left for me to do. I wanted to go and do something elsewhere. It didn’t matter where I was going. I wanted to go overseas.
“Things fell apart. If I didn’t do drugs, then I doubt I will ever do drugs in my life. I am super- blessed that I am still able to play. I am playing for a big team and I am the captain. How many players fell and never came back? We can count.
“Honestly, if I didn’t leave Pirates I could have been history. When I came to Sundowns, it was a second chance. If I can’t make it here. I can’t make it anywhere,” said Modise, who joined Sundowns early last year.
Modise says South African players should be encouraged to go overseas in their teens so that they can give something back when they return to the country.
“We always want to compare Bafana with Ivory Coast, but check how many of their players are playing overseas. They go overseas at an early age. Even the government, I think, helps them because when they come back they open up foundations and build things for their countries,” observed Modise, who has 57 Bafana caps and 10 goals.
“Who will do that in SA because you go overseas at the age of 27 and 32 you are back. They need to allow players to go at 17 or 20 so that when they come back we can have schools of excellence. How many do we have? None. How many players do we have on the streets that are drinking alcohol. So many. Why? Because there are no opportunities.”
Cape Times