MaMkhize explains Andile Mpisane's new administrative role at Royal AM

Royal AM owner Shauwn “MaMkhize” Mkhize has shed light on the new administrative role given to her football-mad son, Andile Mpisane, by the club.

Apart from being a soccer player, the 20-year-old Mpisane, who also dabbles as a musician, is the chairperson of the second-placed team on the DStv Premiership table.

Together with Thlopie Motsepe, who is the son of Patrice Motsepe, at Mamelodi Sundowns, they are the youngest chairs in the PSL.

Mkhize said despite Mpisane being young, he is one of the big decisionmakers and has been tasked with the running of Royal’s DStv Diski Challenge team. His duties involve signing players for the reserves team as part of his mentoring for a much bigger role in the senior team in future.

“Andile knows his football. Andile can analyse a game from the beginning to the end. As we speak now, he’s got a full role in Diski. He is getting valuable information from the people who have been in the game for a long time such as Sinky Mnisi, Richard Makhoba and John Maduka,” said Mkhize.

“He understands what is happening on the field of play, but I need him to understand the administrative part as well, and to excel at that, so that even when I’m not there one day, he’s able to take over in the elite league.

“But he is doing very well with the Diski. We gave him a few roles in the Diski team and he is making his decisions, including collecting his own players,” she said.

MaMkhize revealed that she wasn’t a football fan before becoming a club owner and only got involved to support her son’s dream of being a football star.

“I wasn’t even attracted to soccer. I think it comes from the support that I have for my kid because Andile has always been in love with soccer. He is the one we used to take to World Cup games and all those things.

“So, for us, we decided that he rather owns a club rather than playing and pursuing a career as a football player, because what happens if he gets injured while playing? And what if he leaves us to go and play abroad?

“It started there, not understanding that this thing is going to be so addictive. Soccer is addictive — the more you get into it, you fall in love with it,” she said.

Mpisane has been seen on the field of play for the Royal reserves outfit recently, displaying his famous showboating tricks.

While some have questioned the youngster's abilities as a footballer, his mother defended the right winger.

“Andile is a good soccer player — he is a dribbler and a free-kick specialist — but a lot of people just see him as this privileged child. The truth is that he works very hard. I think it’s just that he is still trying to find his feet between his music and soccer careers,” she said.

Royal return to Premiership action against Swallows at Chatsworth Stadium on Sunday at 3.30pm.