Mayo – At Chiefs They Didn’t Pass The Ball To Me

Former Kaizer Chiefs striker Patrick Mayo has shared some of his experiences at Naturena, saying it wasn’t easy for a Xhosa player to play at the Amakhosi during his time.

Mayo is the father of two gifted left-footed attacking midfielders, Khanyisa Mayo who’s with Cape Town City, and Khanyisile Mayo that recently signed with Eastern Cape-based side Chippa United.

The veteran striker, who also played as a defender, shared stories about his life at Naturena where he made 70 appearances in all competitions, scoring six goals.

“It’s not easy to play for Chiefs especially when you’re a Xhosa person,” Mayo told Kunjani Podcast.

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“Those Johannesburg guys think football is only for them and they think you can’t come from Eastern Cape and be better than them.

“When I arrived at Chiefs they were not passing the ball to me, that time the coach was Ted Dumitru. I would make a run and they wouldn’t pass it to me and I was looking at this. It was Thabo Mooki, Jabulani Mendu, Arthur Zwane and Brian Baloyi.

“This other day we were playing 11v11 then passed the ball to me, I grab the ball and I told them if you guys think I’ll suffer we all gonna suffer. Because I am here as a striker, if you midfielders don’t pass the ball to me that means we won’t score and month-end we won’t get bonuses.

“Since that day they started passing the ball to me and Ted looked at it, but he didn’t understand because I was speaking IsiXhosa.

“I heard Thabo Mooki saying ‘Likwatile iXhosa bafethu’. Ted didn’t even ask what was going on he kept quiet and he told me he like the role I am playing.

“It was difficult because if I don’t make the run Thabo Mooki would go to Doctor Khumalo and Ace Khuse to say you this guy of yours. All I am saying they will sabotage you there.”

In the latest edition of iDiski Times, we hear from Kaizer Chiefs Marketing and Commercial Director Jessica Motaung who gives a timeline for the club’s women’s team, discusses the current revival under Arther Zwane and a lot more. We assess Bongani Zungu’s return to Mamelodi Sundowns and also hear how social media star Aunty Diski went from being a fan to a game changer in both the media and football space. Shaun Bartlett reveals how his role at the helm of Cape Town Spurs was 30 years in the making. Read all this and more in iDiski Times Edition 67 below: