This week's DoRego's blog features Bennet Chenene!
It's been my best season yet! I scored 10 goals playing as a winger. The leading goal scorer came from Moroka Swallows and I contributed to a lot of his goals. I'm in the top three of the leading goal scorers, with two strikers. It's been amazing! We have a great understanding as teammates. When I make a run, they know where I want the ball to be played. We won the MTN8, but obviously we're not happy that we won't be able to defend it. In January a couple of our players signed pre-contracts with other clubs and people were saying that we no longer wanted to play for Swallows and that we were fighting with the bosses, but after that, my performance went up.
I'm a professional and I can't just under-perform because I would be killing myself. I managed to show many people what I'm made of. People had written me off when I joined the team but they should have checked the people around me and what they did to get the best out of me. It's not all about one person. It's about the team. If I make a run and they don't understand me, I will make wrong decisions. But I didn't come to Swallows to prove anyone wrong. Maybe some people were saying I failed in the Free State (at Bloemfontein Celtic) and that's why I came back to Jo'burg, where I previously had a good spell (with Orlando Pirates). Let me use Terror Fanteni as an example. When he plays in Jo'burg, he doesn't do as well as he does when playing in Cape Town, where he even gets called up to the national team. I don't know why it happens like that.
I spoke to some of the supporters after they called me and asked about my departure. At least I won something for them and they must be grateful. We couldn't agree on certain things with management and I'm sorry for the supporters because I know they love me so much. I didn't have a choice because time was running out. If I stayed for the sake of the supporters, what are those supporters going to do for me when my playing days are over? I got a good offer from SuperSport. I'm 29 now and I have a family and kid to feed. When you are 17 or 18 then you can stay for the sake of 'loyalty'. At that age you never really look at it from a financial point of view.
Players are different though. When some players start out, they win awards and the money keeps coming in. People must understand that I'm getting old, although if you look at me you'll think I'm young, ha, ha, ha. Even the opposition players always think I'm not one to go for a header, but I can challenge for the aerial balls and even dribble three players in one go!
SuperSport mostly play second balls and ama second ball ngidla ngawo (I benefit from second balls). I have a feeling I will do well because their style suits me and I have played with some of their players before. I also need to keep my lifestyle in check. I used to go partying till late at night, but now I've started to realise that I need to focus. I've been playing for seven years and I haven't won a league title, so I want to win it. I want the league, a cup, and individual awards so that people can see that Chenene was here.
I know defenders are scared of me, but I never put myself under pressure. I think if I can do extra training, eat healthily and ngilale early-nyana (go to sleep early), I can achieve my goals. One thing's for sure, we'll win something next season!
The Bafana Bafana coach - Gordon Igesund - made us to be like this and I know he's watching me, but I don't think if he selects me, people will say it's because I play for Swallows and he's doing me a favour. Even other people can see I deserve to be there! I want to be given a fair chance, but I don't want to badmouth the coach like Andile Jali did. Here in South Africa Andile was a top player. He had played well before in the national team and was angry that they didn't select him after he recovered from injury.
Eish, you see, anger sometimes... when you say something, you must always think of how it's going to sound to other people and the whole country. Sometimes nathi as players siyazikhawata (we destroy ourselves). At times you don't even realise you are being recorded and you go out and say you were misquoted, only for the recording to come out. I think players need to be advised on how to speak to the media. Look, we don't think the same way. Abany' abantu ba dom (Other people are stupid), others are rich, others are not happy, etc. If we were all okay, life would be boring because we'd do the same thing every day.
The coach must give me a fair chance. Lerato Chabangu was performing well and got selected. He went to the Afcon and I should have been there, but I didn't sulk. I've been banging in goals. They call up people who aren't playing regularly and I'm asking myself, "Hawu! What's happening in South Africa?" Maybe the public should vote on which players they want in the squad. I don't think the coach doesn't want me, so I'm not sure what's happening.
I bumped into him at the PSL awards and I asked him, "Hey, baba! What should I work on – free kicks or my shooting? What's happening?" He told me, "No, if we were playing at home, I was going to call you up." He doesn't have a problem with me, but he must call me up! If I don't play against the likes of Lesotho, who am I going to play against? I want to represent my country, so please give Chenene a chance. I was one of the leading goal scorers in the PSL playing on the wing, where I'm far from the posts. I understand Katlego Mashego. Bernard Parker plays with Reneilwe Letsholonyane every day, so they understand each other. Sometimes I think the coach should balance things out and check who's benefiting from whom at team level, and not just call up one player from each team. If I'm called up, I will add value to the team because I'm a team player.
Bennett Chenene,
Moroka Swallows
