South African legendary and Jomo Cosmos coach Ephraim Jomo Sono says he will remain huge and popular in South Africa and people can try all they could to crush him, but his status will remain indelible.
Sono was SAFA technical director when Bafana won the 1996 Africa Cup of Nations under the late Clive Barker.
However, his club Cosmos which now features in the ABC Motsepe regional league, signed a two-year sponsorship deal with Jobe Foundation, a non-profit organization based in Duduza in Ekurhuleni.
They’ll also play their ABC Motsepe League matches there next season and new season kick off on Sunday.
“I was surprised that I was the most trending person last weekend and at my age I’m still trending, I’m very surprised,” said the forever jovial Sono at the sponsor’s announcement on Thursday.
“Just to you, the players, if I’m trending and retired 60 years ago, it means you are all in trouble – 60 years ago but I’m still trending! Score goals, take this team up so that you can all trend (with the media laughing in the background).
“The reason why I’m trending, I’m not trending because I shot somebody, I’m trending because of the good work I have done for South African football.
“My legacy you cannot erase it, you cannot buy it off, you cannot rub off what I have done in this country – not only for Cosmos, the national team, Orlando Pirates for them to win that cup (CAF Champions League in 1995), you can hide behind, but you all know I gave them six players to go there and win the cup.
“In 1996 AFCON finals, we had 13 players. In 1998 (AFCON finals where Bafana lost to Egypt and Mr Sono was the caretaker coach), we had nine players. In the 2002 World Cup (when Sono was the caretaker coach), we had seven players.”
Cosmos, who won the Coca-Cola-Cup in 2002/03 season when they beat Kaizer Chiefs 1-0 at FNB Stadium, was relegated from the DStv Premiership at the end of the 2015/16 season after finishing at the bottom of the table.
They were relegated further from the professional ranks in April last year in the 2021/22 season.
