Captain Kekana sets sights on more trophies
Hlompho Kekana will lead Mamelodi Sundowns in their PSL title defence after he was appointed club captain.
|||Johannesbrug - Hlompho Kekana will lead Mamelodi Sundowns in their PSL title defence after he was appointed club captain.
Kekana, a regular in Shakes Mashaba's Bafana Bafana side, takes over from Ramahlwe Mphahlele who left the Brazilians for Kaizer Chiefs.
“I really did not see this coming,” Kekana told the club’s website.
“I know I am an emotional player and have invested my soul in football. I always want to win and this is the spirit in the rest of the team. I have done much behind the scenes in terms of leadership. As individuals, we might have differing opinions about issues, but in the end our common goal as players dictates what we need to do. We are looking at challenging for trophies. Our goal right now is to win the Caf Champions League.”
Giving the 31-year-old the armband is a show of appreciation to a man who held together Sundowns’ midfield last season.
He played with six different players - Bongani Zungu, Tiyani Mabunda, Soumahoro Bangaly, Mzikayise Mashaba, Asavela Mbekile and Teko Modise - in central midfield and brought an element of calm and consistency as the Pretoria club won a record seventh league title in the PSL-era.
Meanwhile, the curious case of Papy Faty continues after the Burundian international revealed yesterday that he would continue his search for a new club despite an apparent heart condition that lead to him being released by Wits.
Faty, however, seems unperturbed and is adamant that he still has a long career in football.
It is unlikely, however that a PSL team will want to sign him unless rigorous tests show that he can return to the field and not risk death.
“The club asked me what I want and I said I would like to keep playing, but as far as they are concerned they cannot continue to play me in the same condition that I am in,” the 25-year-old midfielder explained, adding that he will return to his home country to “clear my mind and think about what is next for me.”.
“I can’t stop playing football,” he said in reacting to suggestions by doctors who have assessed him during the period when he was on and off the pitch.
The Star