'We've now got a way of playing,' says Mphahlele of Pablo's influence at AmaZulu

AmaZulu's veteran defender Ramahlwe Mphahlele is slowly winding down his career as a professional footballer but he's already preparing for his journey afterwards.

The former Moroka Swallows, Kaizer Chiefs and Mamelodi Sundowns player completed the PSL Player Transition Programme, a partnership between the Premier Soccer League (PSL) and MultiChoice to “equip players with skills and knowledge necessary to carve out successful futures beyond the football pitch”.

But on top this programme, which the players did at the Gordon Institute of Business Science in Johannesburg, Ramahlwe, 34, revealed upon completing the six-week course with 34 others players from various PSL clubs that he's also studying “something related to sports” to empower himself for life after football.

“I feel like I have gained some knowledge,” Mphahlele said of the programme after completing it on Wednesday.

“It was not easy. Sometimes in some classes you felt like, 'what [am] I doing here?' — because you can hardly resonate with what they're saying. But the resilience kept us in the discipline, which is important even in football.”

Mphahlele added that he's studying as he preparers himself for various options after retirement, something many current and former football players take for granted. 

“I'm furthering my studies, though I don't want say much for now. I want to put my head down, get it done and when it's done I can be in a better position to say this is what I've done. But it's something related to sports because I want to stay in sports. 

“I feel like sometimes as footballers we feel entitled — just because I played football, then football must give back. No, it's not like that. You also have to invest in yourself, make sure you get education and make sure you improve yourself.”

On the field, Mphahlele acknowledged things have not been going as well as they planned at AmaZulu, with Spanish coach Pablo Franco Martin, who joined the club at the beginning of the season, struggling for consistent results.

Usuthu are well placed to avoid relegation but a top-eight finish in the DStv Premiership is not guaranteed as they languish in 11th spot with 24 points with 10 matches to go. 

AmaZulu will resume their league programme after the international anxious to secure a top-eight spot but on top of that they also have a chance to end their trophy drought which stretches back to 1992. 

AmaZulu will host Orlando Pirates in Durban in the last eight of the Nedbank Cup next month and Mphahlele said it's crucial they show everyone they're an improving team after a not so convincing start to the 2023-2024 campaign.

“What is derailing us is the consistency at AmaZulu. It's not easy because Pablo has just come in. It's his first season but he's done enough to get us out of the position we were in [at end of last season],” said Mphahlele. 

“We've now got a way of playing and we've got a structure. It takes time, football takes time, it's not just a toss of a coin and things are good.

“I hope that they [management] give him a bit of time to work on the team and support him. Eventually the results will come.

“We haven't been consistent and we've struggled to win games but we're positive [that] will change in the future.”