Following the withdrawal of Phakamani Mahlambi from South Africa's national team for the COSAFA Cup, former bad boy of Mzansi's football Junior Khanye has offered some advice to the Mamelodi Sundowns player.
Mahlambi was released from Bafana's camp last week. While some reports in local media indicated that the 21-year-old was released from the team due to alleged disciplinary issues related to alcohol, SAFA's acting CEO Russell Paul told the Siya crew that the player requested to be released from the COSAFA camp due to personal reasons.
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"In advising the boy, I will refer to my story as Junior Khanye as I had been in that kind of situation before. Some of us were kicked from the U23 team not because of performances on the field but because we also did some of the things this boy is accused of having done," said Khanye.
"For the boy to make a change in his career, he has to think back to where he comes from. Leaving a national team camp like that could do a lot of damage to his career. Discipline plays a very important role in football and in one's career. Stories like this result in clubs losing trust in a player," added the Daveyton-born player.
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"I would like to appeal to South Africa to please not judge Phakamani. The boy might be experiencing a problem with something else in life. The boy needs to be protected as he is one of the best talents we have in the country. But he also needs to play a role in ensuring that he gets help from whatever that might be troubling him," he added.
Khanye went on to advise all the players out there to be cautious when driving on the roads.
"If you talk about alcohol and some of the players whose careers were affected by it, there is a lot of damage that is being caused by drinking. Even the many accidents that happen which involve football players, alcohol is usually the cause," concluded Khanye.
