Gentleman Dungi fought for every ball on the field and players’ rights off it

Nothing illustrates better the sort of player John Moeti was than what transpired in the 1998 Bob Save Super Bowl final.

Captain of Orlando Pirates in the season finale against Mamelodi Sundowns, the player lovingly nicknamed Dungi scored the equaliser in that 1-1 draw but got injured in a challenge from Randall Borman.

It was a serious injury that would have seen many a player stretchered off and probably taken to the hospital. Not Dungi, the former midfield dynamo who died on Monday after an eight-month illness. Moeti insisted on continuing to play until the final whistle. It was a costly decision though, as a visit to the hospital thereafter revealed he had a broken bone.

That match was the last of the season before the 1998 Fifa World Cup, and the injury meant Moeti — a peripheral member of the country’s senior national team who had fought his way into a tightly-contested central midfield on form — would miss the global spectacle.

Such was the midfield dynamo’s character. Diminutive in size, he was not a half-measure guy, for many players hold back and shy away from dangerous tackles, especially if there’s a bigger occasion looming.

Not for wrong reasons then that, in the wake of his death, comments from his former teammates have been consistent. Just about everyone speaks of the dedicated, hard-working, reliable player and man he was.

Though small in stature, Moeti was fierce on the pitch — a hard-tackling midfielder with a penchant for the searching through-pass who gave his all to the team’s cause.

In the game of football, where comparisons are inevitable, there were some who likened him to Linda Buthelezi. The reality, however, was that Dungi was nothing like the man nicknamed Mercedes-Benz.

Dungi was not rough, and I do not recall him breaking anyone’s leg.

I do remember though that he always gave his all in a match, never held back in a tackle and was a tireless performer who covered just about every blade of grass on every pitch he played on.

Apart from his playing talent, Dungi was also a cerebral man imbued with leadership skills. It was not surprising that he ended up captaining the Buccaneers team he had joined after his first professional club Dynamos got relegated from the elite league.

His former teammate Helman Mkhalele spoke on Monday about how Dungi fought for players to be treated with respect.

Bafana coach Philippe Troussier had described Moeti as his most valuable player.

I remember covering a disciplinary case of his that eventually led to his parting ways with Pirates. Back then what struck me most was that Moeti — represented by his fiery wife Motshidisi — was unafraid to take on Pirates chair Irvin Khoza.

I remember spending early evenings at the Sunnyside Park Hotel for the hearing, and not once during that period did Dungi ever come across as being disrespectful to the authorities, despite feeling that he had to stand up for himself.

On the contrary, it was his wife who came across as being combative.

It later made sense when he went on to play an influential role in the establishment of the SA Football Players Union, as he fought to ensure local clubs treated players with respect — a value he took seriously.

In an era when players were beginning to become celebrities, getting interviews was often a nightmare, with many journalists often stood up by disrespectful footballers. John was different as he understood the role the media played and was always available to provide a sound-bite, an opinion or even a lengthy interview that revealed the intelligent footballer he was.

Many of us were delighted for him when, after his injury in that Bob Save final, the South African Football Association (Safa) decided he should travel to France for the World Cup. I still remember him hobbling about on crutches at the airport en route to football’s greatest spectacle, albeit as a “fan”.

He had often been peripheral player in the squad. But having heard coach Philippe Troussier speak of him then, it would not have been surprising to see him being a key member in France.

The Frenchman had described Moeti as his “most valuable player”. I can bet you just about every coach who worked with him would say the same.

Such was John Moeti — a team player, a player’s player, a coach’s player. Damn, he was a media man’s player too.