Motale hails Khumalo’s SAFA appointment: ‘We need football legends!’
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Motale hails Khumalo’s SAFA appointment: ‘We need football legends!’
Oct 23, 2026 – 07:57 pm
By Thato Bosoga
Bafana Bafana legend Edward Motale has opened up on Doctor Khumalo being appointed as Vice-Chairperson of the SAFA Technical Committee.
“I would say congratulations to Dr, Doctor Khumalo, we’re very proud of him. I know and I hope he is going to do, not better, but best for our football in the country. It shows that our football is going into the right direction by appointing a former player,” Motale told KickOff.
“Because before it was only (for the elite), I’m happy, at least we now have our own who is representing us. I have a belief that he is going to take us to the next level. He has played the game and has walked the game.
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“All these years in all our national teams, whether it is Under-17, Under-19, senior team, when they line-up or coming out of the tunnel, there’s not even a legend that is greeting them, just to give them motivation,” Motale said.
‘Magents’ went on and stressed the importance of having South African football legends within SAFA structures.
“Other countries, (for example), Ivory Coast, (Didier) Drogba is there, Cameroon, (Samuel) Eto’o is there, you name them. Us, who is there? You just see these grandpas and grandmas you don’t even know who they are and what they have done for this football,” the former Orlando Pirates defender continued.
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“Not to interfere with the coach, just to say, ‘Boys, well done, I’ve walked this road, don’t get intimidated’ (etcetera), and you’re done. Hopefully there will be more legends or the people who played the game. Some positions don’t (necessarily) need academics or how rich you are.
“Some positions just need the person who walked the walk. The likes of Danny Jordaan can sit there at the office, it’s fine but on the ground definitely we need people who walked the walk and who will talk the talk. Because if I say something to a (national team) player and say ‘Boy! This is how you stand’ he will believe in me, because he knows I’ve walked that path,” Motale insisted.
“But when some prominent guy comes because he’s rich and wants to tell a player what to do, it gets in this ear and goes out the other ear. So I’m happy and I hope more people who played the game will be part of SAFA like other countries,” Motale, a former member of the 1996 AFCON winning Bafana squad added.
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