by Nazeem Davids
There are few knowledgeable soccer lovers, even from the younger generation, who don’t know Abubakaar “Boebie” Solomons.
He carries the type of status that make people stop him wherever he goes. He is known all over South Africa. To some he is “Coach Boebie”, to Santos lovers he will always be “Zagallo”.
Whatever he is called, there is an undeniable level of respect and admiration attached to it.
Boebie was born in Silvertown on the Cape Flats on March 22, 1955.
These were the humble beginnings of the South African football legend whose grit, determination and talent were to pave the way for a glittering career as a an amateur and professional player, and coach to some of the best in South African football.
Boebie attended Silverlea Primary School in Athlone, and later Alexander Sinton High School. From an early age it was clear he was an exceptionally gifted athlete. At school, he represented Western Province in five sporting codes: athletics, swimming, football, volleyball and table tennis.
Superior fitness, endurance and conditioning is one thing all great sportsmen have in common. Boebie was no exception. He never stopped training. The sand of Strandfontein Beach and the steps of the Athlone Stadium stands were his training grounds.
He says: “I played with footballers who had much more natural ability and talent than me, and the only way I could match them was to train twice as hard. I was always the fittest player on the field, so much so that I had the nickname of ‘Asem’, an Afrikaans acknowledgement of the fact I never ran out of breath.”
In 1973, at 17, Boebie turned professional and signed for the Cape Town professional football club, Cape Town Spurs.
At the time, Spurs were in the then-South African Soccer Federation – the non-racial football body in apartheid South Africa, commonly referred to as “the federation”.
For want of better descriptors, the NPSL was for “black” clubs and NFL for the “white” clubs. Boebie was paid R75 a month. Boebie says: “I got a R10 raise after three months! I was blessed to play in the company of football greats like Bernard ‘Dancing Shoes’ Hartze, Seraj Abass, the Phillips brothers, Achmat Fakier, Farouk Abrahams and many others. Money was never my objective.”
In 1977, after winning every title with Spurs, Boebie signed for the Johannesburg challengers to “the federation” throne, Dynamos.
For two years, when Dynamos had a home or local game, Boebie would fly to Joburg on Fridays to play.
At the same time, he was doing his apprenticeship as an electrician at the SA naval dockyard in Simon’s Town, as he was determined to acquire the qualification for his life after football.
There was certainly no career in business or sports laid out for non-white sports stars after retirement back then. One could argue, not even today.
In the late 1970s, a number of NFL clubs, including Durban City, Cape Town City and Hellenic joined “the federation” (SAFS) In 1979, after a successful stint with Dynamos, Boebie returned to Cape Town Spurs.
Then Spurs manager Peter Martin moved to rivals Cape Town City with 10 of Spurs’ best players.
Boebie became the CT Spurs player-coach and captain, and was tasked with rebuilding a depleted Spurs team. He did a phenomenal job, winning the league title with a new-look side in his first year in charge.
In 1980, Boebie, Hartze and Abbass were signed to play for the Tampa Bay Rowdies in the inaugural American Football League.
The Boebie Solomons story continues next week.
* Nazeem Davids
** The views expressed here are not necessarily those of Independent Media.
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