Former Orlando Pirates midfielder Thandani Ntshumayelo has opened up about the moment he failed a drug test and the events that led to his four-year ban from football in 2016.
The 35-year-old, who has since retired, was initially handed a harsh four-year suspension after testing positive for a banned substance.
In 2018, the ban was reduced to two years on appeal, allowing him to make a return to the pitch in 2019.
Speaking on the Apex Podcast, Ntshumayelo admitted that during that period, he had fallen out of love with football and had even lost respect for his teammates.
He revealed that despite still having a year and a half left on his contract with Orlando Pirates, he was already eyeing a move to Bidvest Wits.
“I was taking drugs during the week, and at that time I wasn’t even playing,” Ntshumayelo recalled.
“Issa Sarr got sick or injured, and on Friday, I was told I was in the matchday squad. That whole week, I was doing drugs. That weekend, they named me in the first team.”
Ex-Pirates star on his struggles with cocaine
“I wasn’t ready mentally. I made a bad tackle and eventually got substituted. I was over everything, I couldn’t wait for the game to finish so I could go and buy drugs,” he added.
Ntshumayelo went on to describe the moment the team (Pirates) doctor approached him after the match.
“I saw the team doctor running towards me, and I thought he was excited to see me. He came and said, ‘Bibo, quick, let’s do a doping test.’ I thought he was joking. I had to fill in the forms, and knowing I had taken drugs that week, I tried to cheat the test by adding medications like Panado and Grand-Pa,” said the former Pirates star.
Ntshumayelo said he mentally surrendered at that point, convinced that his career was over.
“Two weeks passed, then another week without any contact from the team. I told myself maybe the drug test wasn’t accurate. I then started retaking drugs and my behaviour became reckless.”
Eventually, he received a call from the Pirates office requesting a meeting with him and his agent.
“I got to the office and saw the chairman. I could see in his eyes that he was disappointed. They suspended me before our match against Mamelodi Sundowns.”