The loneliest place a goalkeeper can be is on the football pitch after making a costly mistake.
The hands on heads from teammates and disbelief from supporters in the stands can leave any goalkeeper wanting to find the nearest whole in the ground to bury their head. AmaZulu's Veli Mothwa has gone through this twice in a space of about two weeks.
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In the colours of Bafana Bafana, as a replacement for injured Ronwen Williams, Mothwa made an error in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations that allowed Uganda to take a 2-1 lead at Orlando Stadium. He was left out in the following qualifier against South Sudan by Orlando Pirates shot-stopper Sipho Chaine.
After the error in national team colours, Mothwa made a costly mistake on the opening weekend of the campaign. In second half's stoppage time, Mothwa came off his line in an effort to catch a loose ball in the air, but fumbled it and allowed Polokwane City score the winner as Usuthu dropped points on the road.
Someone who knows how difficult life can be as a goalkeeper, and after making a mistake, is Jackson Mabokgwane, who feels Mothwa needs proper support right now to overcome this difficult period. Mabokgwane spoke to the Siya crew about the challenge of having to replace a long-term number one, even if it's just for one game, which was the case for Mothwa in the national team, in Williams' absence.
"It's difficult being a goalkeeper. You need a strong character to be a goalkeeper, especially for a big team or the national team. You also need to be ready because in moments where you are needed... If you are not ready physically, psychologically and emotionally, you might not live up to the expectations. When you have a solid number one who has played and kept the jersey for long... I'll make a simple example with Kaizer Chiefs. They had Itumeleng Khune as number one for the longest of time and it's been very difficult to replace him. Many goalkeepers came and left and when Itu was injured, they had problems. Only recently Daniel Akpeyi was able to fill the gap when Itu was not around, but it's still been difficult to replace him," Mabokgwane said to the Siya crew.
"When you have a solid number one who understands the system and culture and everything, it becomes difficult to fill in his place. In this case, I am referring to how he had to come in for Ronwen. We had to give Veli support and give him a chance. I've been in the same situation at Bafana where Senzo Meyiwa left us and he was number one at Bafana. It was a bit of a struggle, at first, to replace him because he was solid. Darren Keet, myself and Brilliant Khuzwayo had to compete, but he (Senzo) was a step ahead at that time. (Siyabonga) Mpontshane, Wayne Sandilands and Ronwen were also in the picture."
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The challenge now is making sure that Mothwa puts the recent errors behind him and perform at his best. It's also going to depend on how strong Mothwa is mentally, to overcome this tough period.
"Ronwen was not available for Bafana and the second best in the country, arguably, is Veli. He has been deputising for Ronwen and it's only fair that he got his chance. For me, let's give him support. He is a good goalkeeper and he has been around. He is still one of the best in the country and he deserves to be there. I also know of rotation. When you have not done so well, it's okay to be changed because remember your confidence drops and national level is not like at club level where we can say let's give him another three, four, five games to regain his confidence. At national team, results are needed immediately, so if your mind is not okay after making a mistake, then it's better to be out and have someone who is motivated and ready psychologically more than you," Mabokgwane said.
"If you are mentally strong, then it's easier to play you in the next match because we know your mentally. I am not saying Veli is not strong. I was not in camp, but surely they must have monitored him after the game and also checked how the mistake affected him before making the decision. Also, some coaches talk to you and discuss how you feel, so we don't know exactly how the coach at Bafana does his things. Also, if you have goalkeepers who are at the same level, then it's easy to play any of them. For me, I believe Chaine is also at the level of Veli, so it becomes easier to rotate. I was in the same situation at Pirates when it was me, Sandilands and Mpontshane. It was easy for the coach to apply the rotation system because he knew all of us were ready. I support Veli and I believe he is still one of the best."
