Marumo Gallants lived up to their name as they gallantly fought on two fronts for most of the 2022/23 season but in the end, heartbreak is all they have to show for their efforts after they were knocked out in the semi-finals of the CAF Confederation Cup and were relegated from the DStv Premiership. It would have come as a big blow to the players especially, as they sacrificed a lot in what was a unique campaign for them. Picking up the pieces after such misfortune is never easy, and some players will find themselves clubless, while others have to go down with the team and fight for a return to the topflight. Mahlatse Makudubela formed a key part of the Limpopo-based outfit, especially with his happy-go-lucky persona in the dressing room, but now has a decision to make as the 2023/24 season looms large. In this interview with Soccer Laduma's Masebe Qina, Skudu, as the skilful star is fondly known, discusses the team's journey on the continent, coming up against former teammate Bernard Morrison, what really led to their relegation, and more.
Masebe Qina: Skudu, how do you sump up the 2022/23 season?
Mahlatse Makudubela: It's been a rollercoaster of a season, to be honest with you. There have been ups and downs, and I'm sure you can also attest to that – doing well in CAF, but not so well in the league. But if you can look at the log standings, it is not a true reflection of what the season has been all about for us. However, this is football and things happened the way they have. Personally, for me it's been a fair season, although not the best. It would have been nice to reach the final of the CAF competition and keep the club in the topflight.
MQ: Before going any further, let's talk about the club's relegation to the Motsepe Foundation Championship.
MM: Obviously, it's not a good feeling, my brother, and nobody wants to find himself in this kind of a situation of relegating a club. That, in itself, is a disappointment, although it could have been Maritzburg (United) or any other club that was in danger going into the last round of fixtures. It's so unfortunate that it was Marumo Gallants that got relegated on the day and I'm part of the team, but it's not the end of the world and we move on as football is always evolving. One moment you are in the semi-finals of a continental competition and then the next week you are relegated from the league – that's football for you.
MQ: Describe the moment when the referee blew the final whistle and you realised that the team was going down.
MM: Devastating! It was really devastating and never have I ever felt that way in football – it was the first time. I don't wish that for any player, to be honest. Waking up every day and thinking about it, it still feels unreal. God forbid, somebody… I don't wish that for any club or any professional soccer player because that feeling is devastating. I've won trophies with clubs and I've been in teams that did well, but that feeling in football… You know, sometimes I wish the PSL was the MLS where nobody gets relegated just because I don't want any player to experience that feeling. (Sighs heavily and pauses) It's a bad feeling and it's so devastating.
MQ: What did club chairman Abram Sello say to the team after your last match?
MM: (Sighs) As owner of the club and chairman, you are obviously very disappointed at that moment and that's how he was. You have to quickly admit that this is the reality and start planning ahead for the following season. Players might take a little bit of time to analyse it, but as the chairman of the club and the leader, you react quickly and start preparing for the next season. The sooner you accept that the club has gone down, the better you will prepare for the future. So, it was a disappointment, but it's not the end of the world.
MQ: Before starting the CAF Confederation Cup campaign, would you have believed anyone who predicted you'd go as far as the semi-finals?
MM: Look, football is a very funny sport, and without taking anything from the other teams and leagues, our run in the competitions showed the level of our league, that it is up there with the best. The level of competition we have in our league made it possible for us to compete. Being able to go pound-for-pound with teams such as Pyramids of Egypt and other teams from some of top leagues in Africa, we showed the level of competition that our league is at. I mean, Mamelodi Sundowns also represented us very well in the Champions League and were just unfortunate to lose (on the away goal rule) in their second leg semi-final game against Wydad (Casablanca). So, it's not a question of whether we expected to go that far in the competition but a matter of approaching each game as it came. One other point to make is that we didn't approach the league games differently to CAF games. We approached each game as it came and with the same level of preparedness, and we always gave our best. We were just fortunate that things worked well for us in the Confederation Cup.
MQ: What was it like coming up against Young Africans in front of their supporters in the first leg of the semi-final?
MM: Yanga is a big club in Tanzania and have achieved a lot. We respect them for what they have achieved and it was great playing them in Tanzania in front of those incredible fans of theirs. They like to play, but I wouldn't say it was a difficult game, although the result wasn't a true reflection of how we played. We had our chances and had we converted them, it was going to be a different ball game.
MQ: You had to face your former Orlando Pirates teammate, Bernard Morrison, who plays for the Tanzanian giants.
MM: (Giggles) It was fantastic. Me and Bernard Morrison go a long way back. We used to be very close and shared a room at Pirates and we always used to be together even after training. We shared a lot of things together with that guy and he is such a funny person. It was great catching up with him because I had been planning to visit him in Tanzania anyway and fortunately, the trip came too early for me and it was really nice to be with and playing against him. Even after the game, he came to the hotel to say his final goodbyes and we had a chat, and it was really fantastic to talk about the things that we did together at Orlando Pirates. We reminisced about the good old days when we used to be in the company of guys like (Thamsanqa) Gabuza and Brighton Mhlongo. Eish, Bernard Morrison! We had our moments back in those days, ha, ha, ha.
MQ: He must have been excited about scoring one of the goals in that 2-0 victory in Dar es Salaam.
MM: Ja, you know, it was bittersweet as the goal was the second one for them and it put us on the back foot. It was always going to be difficult to come back as we needed to score three goals at home to win the tie.
MQ: However, he couldn't honour the second leg game due to being barred from setting foot in Mzansi.
MM: We didn't touch that much on that as we were discussing all the other stuff about the fun times we had. But I think it was a blessing in disguise that he didn't come, ha, ha, ha, especially after he scored that second goal for them. He just mentioned that he wouldn't be coming, but we didn't dwell much on it.
MQ: How did the chairman feel about your progress in the competition?
MM: He's been very proud. He's been motivating and encouraging us, but you know, up until you have silverware, you have to keep on trying. Having said that, we as the players are also proud of ourselves. It would have been nice to go all the way to the final and win it.
MQ: What's your take on critics saying that your progress in CAF affected the team's form in the DStv Premiership?
MM: In all honesty, people are always going to talk. But if you look at it, we dropped too many points through playing a lot of draws. We haven't been losing a lot of games. Yes, we have been playing week in and week out and that, for me, helped in keeping us competitive. Like I say, we haven't really been losing all the points, but we have been dropping some because of the draws. To answer your question, I don't really believe in the saying that a team in a situation like the one we were in should focus on the league and not in the other competition. We did our best in every game and hoped for the best.
MQ: How did you end up fighting relegation?
MM: It is really difficult to point as to where it all went wrong. It's football, you know. You can plan and commit, but the matchday decides your fate. If you don't collect points early in the season, you can end up in such situations. The second half of the season is difficult and that's what put us on the back foot. (Sighs heavily) I feel like too many draws along the way affected us. But it's difficult to pick one reason for what happened, as I feel it was a combination of different factors.
MQ: Going into the last round of fixtures with the team in such a precarious position must have put some strain on the squad.
MM: Well, I try to always keep my cool and that's what I did. Obviously, the nerves will always be all over, but I always try to keep calm. The most important thing is to trust each other as a team. We really believed that we would pull through. From the four or five teams that were at the bottom, no one was safe going into those final games of the season. We were all aware of the situation we were in and at no point did the coach and his technical team or the club put us in panic mode. We just needed to keep on going, improve on scoring goals and hope for the results to come.
MQ: How difficult was it not to have head coach Dylan Kerr on the bench as he struggled to obtain his paperwork?
MM: That wasn't much of an issue because everything was communicated in the dressing room, having started from training. You go to the official games knowing what is expected of you, and at half-time information gets communicated. The good thing is that the coaches work together anyway.
MQ: Where to for you now?
MM: I haven't really decided. I'm talking to a couple of clubs, but I haven't really made a decision to say where I will be. I think together with my management and the representatives, we will sit down because it's their department. I have been away – I went to Amsterdam and I only came back last Tuesday. It was more of a personal trip, which also involved business at the same time.
MQ: Enjoy the well-deserved break, mdlali (player), and all the best with your decision.
MM: Sharp, bro wam (my bro).
MAHLATSE MAKUDUBELA FACT FILE
Date of birth: 10 March 1990
Place of birth: Vosloorus, Gauteng
Nickname: Skudu
Position: Midfielder
Jersey number: 32
Club: Marumo Gallants
Previous clubs: Mamelodi Sundowns Reserves, United FC, Platinum Stars, Golden Arrows, Orlando Pirates, Chippa United, Highlands Park, FC Gagra (Georgia), University of Pretoria
Honours: 2013/14 MTN8 winner, 2013/14 Telkom Knockout winner (both with Platinum Stars), 2016/17 Nedbank Cup runner-up (with Pirates), 2021/22 Nedbank Cup runner-up (with Gallants)
