This week we chat to Steve Kapeluschnik, one of Mzansi's top football agents. Kapeluschnik looks after the likes of Kaizer Chiefs head coach, Stuart Baxter, Amakhosi midfielder, Josta Dladla, and Bloemfontein Celtic head coach, Ernst Middendorp.
It's Soccer Laduma day! Issue 892 is out on the shelves, with the latest and hottest Siyagobhoza. Have you all picked up your copy yet? Please, share your thoughts with me. What part of the Siya blew you away and what shocked you?
We invited our readers to log on to the Soccer Laduma Supporters Club, where they can read an exclusive interview with Steve Kapeluschnik. The Siya crew's Joe Crann got in touch with the football agent.
Hope you enjoy the read. Cheers... Eddie.
Joe Crann: Steve, cheers for chatting to me. Just to start things off, how did you end up in the industry in the first place?
Steve Kapeluschnik: I'm a lawyer by training and profession, but I always wanted to be involved in sports and law. I got involved with a big international company called the Stelle Group about 14 years ago, who manage guys like Gareth Bale. They were involved in his move to Real Madrid. They're based in the UK but started an operation in South Africa, which I ran and managed here.
JC: Ah, fair enough. And do you remember your first ever deal?
SK: I actually don't remember my first one! I think one of the first players I ever signed though was Moeneeb Josephs. He was definitely one of them.
JC: I'm sure Kaizer Chiefs fans all over the country will want to thank you for bringing them Stuart Baxter, how did that come about?
SK: When Stuart was here with Bafana, that's when I first met him. I had quite a few players with Bafana, and that's where our relationship started, these things are all about relationships. Then when he left South Africa we continued to keep in touch, I even visited him in Sweden, and when I heard there was something available at Kaizer Chiefs I thought he was the perfect candidate for the job.
JC: And did you expect him to do so well, so quickly?
SK: Stuart's a quality coach, and I knew that he'd be great for Chiefs. It was difficult when he first came because some journalists started a story that he'd embellished his CV, which was complete rubbish. I was actually driving with him, looking at houses, when the journalist phoned him. We were in and out of the car all day, looked at about eight houses, and somehow the wires got crossed.
JC: Yeah…
SK: A few days later I was driving to work and I saw billboards saying that he'd lied on his CV etc. So it was tough, but he always just needed time. Also, one of Stuart's biggest positives was that he already knew the South African culture, and that's very important.
JC: For sure. But how did the process start with regards to getting him in the role?
SK: I'm constantly speaking to the various clubs, so there's always in contact. They'll often phone me, or I'll phone them, when they're looking for a coach, and that's where it starts. For me, it's very important that you attach yourself to the right players and the right coaches, you have to know his CV and his track record. I knew I was on solid ground with Stuart.
JC: Another person you're involved with at Chiefs is Josta Dladla… It's been a rough few months for him given the case with the South African Institute for Drug-Free Sports. How involved were you throughout the period?
SK: I was very involved with the whole thing. When the whole thing broke I had a meeting with him. I flew to Cape Town and had various meetings with the guys from SAIDS, so yeah, I was heavily involved with the process. When a player is going through something like that there's no substitute for support that he gets from his family and direct circle. In that specific case his wife and parents were really great.
JC: Luckily things worked out in the end, but was there a point when you were preparing for the worst?
SK: There's always an element of the unknown. There was a hearing and a legal process, so while I backed him 1000% and knew it was an honest mistake, you never know how the hearing will go. There was a chance that it could have gone the other way and that he'd have had to end his career there and then.
JC: Finally, when it comes to dealing with a coach like Ernst Middendorp, who is known for his strict style, do you have to specifically let clubs know his personality? Or do they work that out for themselves?
SK: Coaches are similar to players in the sense that they all have different personalities and styles of doing things. Ernst has his style, but I believe in him and his abilities, so when the head coach meets the club they can sense whether he's the right man or not. There needs to be a feeling or a connection between them. Also, what you see on TV isn't always who the coach really is, the club gets to know the coach out of the limelight and that's what matters.
