With the PSL one of the leagues that had the most players at the recent Afcon, Polokwane City can be proud of having had at least two representatives in the competition, in Manuel Sapunga for Equatorial Guinea and Bafana Bafana's Oswin Appollis. Despite having not played as he was an unused substitute in four matches, the former's presence in camp was as valuable as that of Veli Mothwa for Bafana in providing the much-needed support to those on the field. In one of the major upsets of the competition, the National Thunder defeated Ivory Coast 4-0 in their last group match. In this interview, Sapunga talks to Soccer Laduma's Masebe Qina about the tournament, motivation of a weird kind from and his impressive first season in Mzansi's topflight.
Masebe Qina: Fantastic and empathic win by your country Equatorial Guinea against Ivory Coast during the recent Africa Cup of Nations. What did it do to the mood in camp?
Manuel Sapunga: The mood was very good and we were happy with the victory and we enjoyed every moment of it in the dressing room. When we went back to the hotel where we were camping, we continued to enjoy and the celebrations went on until 04h00. You've got to know something about us, in the Equatorial Guinea national team we are a family and whenever we are together, we make sure that we enjoy ourselves when we get a chance to do so. That day was a special kind of enjoyment because the celebrations went on until late in the morning, like I say, because we had done a great job. Also, we had a good reason to celebrate because it was not an easy game. Everyone in our country was very proud of us. When we eventually ended the celebrations, it was time to rest and think about the next game.
MQ: Not sure a lot of people would have been confident about you guys pulling that one off…
MS: For some reason, there was just something that made us to be sure that we were going to win the game. We were still thinking about 2012 and people forget about history, but that year, we played against Ivory Coast in the quarterfinals in Equatorial Guinea, who were the organisers of the tournament. We lost that game 3-0, and going into this year's match, it was still in our minds that Didier Drogba celebrated the goal in front of our chairman (president) in 2012. We have kept that image for us to give it our all to win the game. We went there knowing that we would win the game, although we knew that it wasn't going to be easy. We gave it our all, but I'll be honest, we didn't expect that the score would be 4-0. We expected a 1-0, 2-0 win or something like that, but all that is important now is that we won the game. I am happy for everyone in the team because we did a great job. Our chairman gave a one-day holiday to the country to celebrate the victory and it was quite a historic victory for Equatorial Guinea, beating Ivory Coast 4-0. Ivory Coast have never lost 4-0 in their history (Netherlands 5-0 Ivory Coast, 4 June 2017), and for a country like ours to give them such a hiding, we can't not be proud of ourselves and that's why it was normal for us to celebrate the victory.
MQ: What was the atmosphere like at the stadium before and after the match?
MS: You know, the fans of Ivory Coast are very positive people, and they were not intimidating us. They were there to give their best in terms of supporting their national team. The stadium was full, and they were singing and dancing, and they did their job magnificently. For us, experiencing such an atmosphere was a motivation and we used that to propel us to shine. We saw it as a moment to push us to win the game and that is why all my teammates were focused during the game. Believe me when I say we gave it our best shot and luckily, the results showed.
MQ: Like you said, President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo declared the next day, Tuesday, January 23, a public holiday.
MS: Before we left the country, the president and vice-president received us and they talked to us. They encouraged us to have confidence in ourselves and to give it our all to make the country happy and proud, and that's exactly what we did. Going there, we expected to go further than the Last 16. In fact, the team expected to reach the semi-finals, but God decided for us to finish in the Last 16 and the country was still happy. The chairman was happy and that's why after winning against Ivory Coast, he decided to choose the 23rd of January as a public holiday. Later, he told us that we would be rewarded with bonuses for winning the game. We have since received the bonuses and we are very happy for what the chairman did for us.
MQ: What are you planning to do with your bonus?
MS: Well, I already have so much that I was planning when I received the money and, for me, it is just a continuation of what I've been doing (saving) in the last three years. It is something to do with planning for life after football because I need to make sure that after retirement, I will still have a decent life. As soccer players, it is important that we think about what we will be doing after retirement while we are still playing. We have to think about how our lives would be and that's why, for me, the bonus was a plus and a continuation of what I've been doing.
MQ: Ivory Coast went on to win the competition. What did you think of how they managed to bounce back?
MS: Let me tell you what I told my fiancé about the dream I had before our game against Ivory Coast. I told her I dreamt that Ivory Coast would win the Afcon. I said to her I didn't know how they would do it because we were going to beat them in our game. After we beat them 4-0, I was confused as to what the meaning of the dream that I had was. After it was confirmed that they qualified for the Last 16, I realised that God was probably going to show me what the dream I had meant. From then on, I kept telling my fiancé whenever Ivory Coast played that they would win no matter how difficult the game was. I was confident in what I had been showed (in the dream) that they would win the tournament. The more the games came, Ivory Coast kept on improving and sometimes were scoring last-minute goals and I was confident that what God showed me was going to happen. Finally, when they won the Afcon, I was so happy for them. For them as a country, I am happy with how well they organised the tournament.
MQ: Being part of a tournament as huge as Afcon must be such an experience.
MS: It was my second participation in Afcon, with the first one being in 2021 in Cameroon. Before that, I missed out on the two editions of Afcon in 2012 and 2015. In 2021, I even played the first game against Ivory Coast. The experience of Afcon in Ivory Coast was very nice and I enjoyed the competition. Those are competitions that give you, as a soccer player, a chance to gauge yourself among the best every time you are on the field. Being called up by your national team to participate in those kinds of competitions is huge and I enjoyed every moment of it. In our national team, we work very hard and we will make sure that we qualify again to be in the next Afcon in Morocco in 2025. I am expecting to be part of that one too.
MQ: Did you manage to speak to Sekhukhune United goalkeeper Badra Ali Sangare, who was part of Ivory Coast's winning side?
MS: Ja, Ali and I always communicate and I congratulated him for winning the Afcon. After our game against Ivory Coast, I was expecting to see him, but there was no chance to meet because they were having a meeting in the dressing room. Their meeting took too long, and it was three or four days later that we spoke, and I congratulated him and the team for making it back into the competition (after almost exiting). I told him that they needed to give it their all to make their country proud and that's what they did. All I'm saying is that we always communicate even when we are here in South Africa, and sometimes before games we motivate each other and so on. It is my first time playing in the PSL (this season) and I need people like Ali to motivate me and to tell me more about the league. He's got more experience than me in the league and it is good to have someone like that to help me. He is a good guy and I really enjoy his company and all what he is doing for me.
MQ: How has your maiden topflight season been with Polokwane City?
MS: The NFD (National First Division, now known as Motsepe Foundation Championship) is not an easy league, and we did well to win the league and now that we are up, the chairman (Johnny Mogaladi) told us that he is expecting us to save the status of the club, first and foremost. Therefore, we are not thinking about winning the league or anything like that, but we are thinking about maintaining our position in the league. We have to stay for as long as possible in the PSL (topflight) and that's why we are giving it our best to protect the status. After doing that, we can then think about the Top Eight. Even if it won't be easy, we'll have to try and see if we can be counted among the Top Eight clubs. Having said that, finishing in the Top Eight or 10 in our first season (back) in the league would be great and so far, so good.
MQ: What was the reaction like from Rise and Shine about you representing the club at Afcon?
MS: Polokwane City made sure that I knew I am very important in the squad. After we played our last game (in December) against Mamelodi Sundowns, I was supposed to leave for the national team to prepare for Afcon. The chairman addressed me and he told me to remain focused and give my all. He said that I should remember that part of me being there was to defend the image of Polokwane City. From there, I received messages from everyone at the club and that, to me, showed how good a family that we have in the team. I was very happy with what they did and they made me feel very comfortable knowing that I was in such a good environment and family. They wished the best for me and when I left South Africa, I had their messages in my mind and that helped me to focus on the task at hand at Afcon.
MQ: You are third in the league's goalkeeping charts behind Ronwen Williams and Darren Keet.
MS: Williams and Darren are very good goalkeepers and, for me, it is an honour to be in the top three with those guys. We are working hard to keep more clean sheets and I must say that I like the way they are playing. I observe how they perform in their games. They are quality goalkeepers. I have my own targets and one of them is to get the recognition as one of the best goalkeepers in the league at the end of the season. I really appreciate that I'm in the position that I'm in right now, but I still need to work harder to make further progress. My aim is that if I don't finish first (as the Goalkeeper of the Season), I can at least be second (as one of the nominees). But I will have to do it with my teammates because without them, I can't get there.
MQ: Awesome. Best of luck.
MS: Thank you and have a good day.
MANUEL SAPUNGA FACT FILE
Full name: Manuel Sapunga Mbara
Date of birth: 22 January 1992
Place of birth: Bata, Equatorial Guinea
Position: Goalkeeper
Club: Polokwane City
Jersey number: 1
Previous clubs: Vegetarianos FC, Sony Ela Nguema FC, Deportivo Mongomo FC, Futuro Kings FC (all in Equatorial Guinea)
Honours: 2017/18 League winner (with Leones Vegetarianos FC), 2022/13 Motsepe Foundation Championship winner (with Polokwane City)
