Basia Michaels has defied any doubts by quickly establishing herself as a prominent figure in the sports industry in South Africa. Her leadership and vision have led QT Sports to new heights, representing some of the most talented athletes in the country.
Why I am in player management:
I played football myself. I played for the University of Johannesburg. I got a scholarship from UJ and I studied law at UJ. I got a job obviously, because I played football. I had male friends that played football and one of one or two of them started making it into the NFD [Motsepe Foundation Championship] ranks, but then it was, "Can you look at this contract for me?" and me being young and eager, looked at a standard in a sale agreement and had my reservations about it and walked into a meeting with the club chairman and his entourage of people and tried to change the terms and I was told, "this is standard, take it or leave it." Football's always been something I've been passionate about. I probably kicked the ball even before I could remember myself, but ultimately passion. How I stopped playing football was when I had to do my articles. I met a few football people along the way for post to remain something in my life. And literally, low and behold, represented one or two players here and there given to me by a special somebody in my life, and we then moved on from there, literally became one after the next, after the next, after the next. I then opened up my very own small agency while I was still practicing and that's how that happened.
What I look for in a player:
So I didn't start QT Sports. QT Sports belonged to Tim Sukazi. I went to Tim at a point when I had a deal on the table for one of my players, but I felt very bullied and that's how I ended up working for him right before he even buys [TS] Galaxy. He bought Galaxy, I bought QT Sports, that then becomes that transaction. I still continued working as an attorney and practicing and doing my stuff.
What do I look for in players? One talent. It has to be natural talent. It has to be there. Yeah, you know, it has to be talent. But then I do a lot of other things. I mean, a footballer is not just the footballer in the sense of it being a footballer. You look at the background of the footballer, you look at the economic structure of where the footballer comes from, what do they understand? What do they know? Where do they want to be and most importantly, aspirations. Because aspirations determine how hard the footballers work, then you get to the point where, despite how hard a footballer might work, certain things don't work out. And then you look at personality, resilience, because this is really not an easy industry to be in. It's not an easy industry at all. I think that (is part) of the commitments that we make towards footballers, you know, sometimes you make a mistake and you sign the wrong player, you know. And the player then unfortunately has a lifestyle outside of football that becomes very difficult for you to manage. If it is difficult for you to manage, it's important for you to get a hold on it very quickly. Which by touch, with the grace of God, I've managed to do quite well. Yes, a few of my players have had their transgressions, but it's nothing outside of what could or couldn't be handled. It is comfortable that I handle it and then we get to the player themselves. It's very important for the person to be a good human. Very important, once you're dealing with a good human being, the rest falls into place.
A deal that almost happened:
If I tell you, it would give away the fact that I've actually done it for June, so no, I can't say that. I'm not saying I haven't failed at deals, I probably failed immensely, more times than I care to remember. I should remember it, but I think a lot of what I do is improve on the mistakes that I've made. So my recollection of it, and I don't necessarily want to share it because I think it's quite personal to him it. It's like an amazing comeback story, but it's not my story to tell.
The most difficult transfer:
I think Ethan Brooks was a very, very difficult transition from TS Galaxy to AmaZulu. I also think Zitha [Kwinika] was a bit of a difficult one, and the reason I think it was difficult was because of the hype that was created leading up to the transaction. I'm not being ugly to journalists, but when speculation is rife, it makes certain things very difficult. You know it, it starts looking like, 'oh, is that why the speculation was there?' Because you've been doing this in the background and that's not the case. It's just sometimes a pure coincidence and other times it's actually not a coincidence. Other times, honestly, truthfully it something that I work on but I'm very upfront. I'm comfortable in the fact. I mean when Chiefs had their first interest in Zitha, I made it well known to the Stellenbosch CEO about it. The AmaZulu-Ethan deal, I think the reason it was probably difficult is because Tim wanted Ethan to go overseas. He really did. And it becomes so difficult to almost convince somebody about it. And I think the other reason it was very difficult is because there was a there was another team on the cards all along. AmaZulu came out of nowhere with like a sucker punch. Done in 24 hours, concluded, paid. While the trajectory of it was another football club that I was working with to get the deal done, because they had shown an interest and I'd alerted Tim of it. And, he said, "look, if this is something that Ethan wanted to do, then let's get it done."
Regrets as an agent:
I'd love to give you my most formal regret. You know when you help somebody from the depths of your soul and that person takes your help and throws it in a dustbin? That is my regret. I'm very compassionate. I mean, players come to you with their issues and their problems and you solve it, and you fix it, and you fix baby mama drama and you do all that stuff. But then there's a point where certain things go a bit too far and that I think that's probably my deepest, deepest regret. Stepping into territory where I shouldn't have helped, to the extent that I helped. It's one thing to do your job and it's another thing to feel for somebody and then a few months later have it thrown in the bin and I was like, OK, cool. So the boundaries that I set are said purely because of the fact that I'm as soft and compassionate as I am. So a lot of people see a very hard. Side of me and they and they assume that is who I am, but ask the people that know me, for me and not the agent.
Weirdest request from a player/ coach:
At least I don't have to tell you what it is, but driving a side chick home. That for me was the toughest. I felt it was a bad one and I took him to task, second to none, but I had to just make sure that I sorted it out because of the situation that had happened. At that point in time, I got to a certain place, got a phone call saying, 'I am in trouble' and I pull up, me being me. Can you sort this out? And we sort things out. We fix what needs to be fixed, like anybody does when they have to fix things. And then I must take the side chick home. And I'm like, ah, this one is too much. So I drove home and I was like, oh, here's an Uber. So, the side chick thing for me. I think that is probably the weirdest, but it happens.
One player I wish I had managed:
Gift Leremi. Sure, he was a known troubled child but there are a number of players that made me fall in love with football. My grandfather supported Pirates. My dad supports Pirates. My mother supports Chiefs. And growing up in a household that was as divided as something like that. I'm from Phefeni in Orlando and I watched like, really, really, really watched Gift playing and I enjoyed it. I was a defender, it's very weird but Gift had something about him in the way that he played.
Thabo Mooki, I absolutely loved. I remember my brother and I had those Chiefs Iwisa shirts, my mom travelled or something like that and came back with the Chiefs shirt and my brother and I both had the same jersey. Thabo Mooki was Chiefs.
