Nhlanhla Mabaso: Where and when were you born?

Professor Ngubane: I was born at Mzinti Trust 39 years ago

Nhlanhla Mabaso: When did you start kicking a football?

Professor Ngubane: I can’t remember the exact year but I think I was 8-years-old or somewhere about.

Nhlanhla Mabaso: Which teams did you play for?

Professor Ngubane: I played for Mzinti Swazi Messengers and Mzinti Young Pirates. In fact I spent 14 years playing for messengers. I joined Pirates at the twilight of my career and retired thereafter.

Professor Ngubane: The development of football in the sub-region is very tardy, full of contradictions and self-serving tendencies. There are no clinics for referees and coaches. Everything is just stagnant. Football Managers and administrators are not receiving any training and mentoring either. Football meetings are full of anger, frustration and vindictiveness…do you get my point?

Nhlanhla Mabaso: Yes, sure! What do you think of the Selati Super Cup and the municipalities’ twinning games?

Professor Ngubane: The Selati cup was good but it was driven by sponsors and not the custodians of football in the sub-region. It was sad that very few young players emerged from the tournament. Maybe it should be used as a developmental tournament where young gems will be unearthed.

The twinning games are fine but we need more competitive football to get into top gear. Though we won in the end, I thought the boys from Mbabane played some exciting brand of football. Matola had the strongest team but they lacked discipline, often resorting to kicking their opponents into knots.

Nhlanhla Mabaso: Is school football as attractive as it used to be in your heydays?

Professor Ngubane: No, there is nothing going on in so far as a school sport is concerned. There cannot, therefore, be anything attractive about school soccer.

Nhlanhla Mabaso: What are your views on the use of drugs in soccer?

Professor Ngubane: Soccer is the pride of our beautiful world. It only needs committed managers, administrators, players, sponsors and the media. It is a mass sports and is bigger than the individual. If we understand this we will have no place for drugs in football. Those who take drugs are looking for individual glory and they don’t have any place in the game of millions.

Nhlanhla Mabaso: Does muti have a place in football?

Reference to special projects in football has become common but I am not really qualified to answer to that. Maybe others may want to come in and shed some light.

Nhlanhla Mabaso: Thanks for taking time out to talk to us

Professor Ngubane: Anytime!