TS Galaxy boss: Sebelebele would never get Bafana call without Pirates move

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TS Galaxy boss: Sebelebele would never get Bafana call without Pirates move
Orlando Pirates attacker Kamogelo Sebelebele

TS Galaxy chairman Tim Sukazi insists the decision to sell winger Kamogelo Sebelebele was meant to aid South African football even if it weakened his team.

Sebelebele joined Orlando Pirates ahead of this season and has started life at the club in brilliant fashion, scoring three goals in his last four matches, earning him a spot in coach Hugo Broos’ Bafana Bafana team for next month’s World Cup qualifiers against Lesotho and Nigeria.

The 23-year-old has not just excelled on the wing but has shown versatility by slotting in at right-back and still impressed in the new role and Sukazi says he was never in doubt that Sebelebele would succeed in Johannesburg.

“At TS Galaxy, we always apply reason to these matters. We are known now to be a club that affords opportunity to players, and when we do these transfers, we look at a number of variances,” Sukazi told SABC.

Sukazi justifies Sebelebele’s sale to Soweto giants

Kamogelo Sebelebele
Kamogelo Sebelebele

“Sometimes, it could be reasons to the benefit of the club or it could be reasons to the benefit of football, or a balance of the two – we always try to strike some good balance in the end, and we obviously want to maintain our sustainability levels at our club.

“For example, a Kamogelo Sebelebele, who is a transfer not necessarily to the benefit of TS Galaxy, but to the benefit of football in South Africa, which we also look at as TS Galaxy.

“We are a club that's very aware and appreciative of its role within the game of football within the country, so we are a club that should be able to go out there in the unknown areas or levels of the game and discover talent, which will be national assets and serve the nation.”

Sukazi claims it was of no use holding onto such a prized asset if he can further his career and earn a national team call-up by playing for a big club since national team selectors overlook lesser sides like his team.

Would winger earn Bafana call without Pirates?

Kamogelo Sebelebele celebrates his goal for South Africa against Comoros at COSAFA Cup. Photo COSAFA

“We knew that he can continue doing so [playing well] for the next five years at TS Galaxy, because his contract was extended until 2030, but he may not get the necessary recognition or a call-up into the main national team – why? Because he's playing for us,” added Sukazi.

“So, the national selectors don't apply the same levels of judgement and decision when a player probably plays for a smaller club, as they do when they play for a bigger club.

“I can rest assure you that, if Sebelebele – as he continues to do what he's doing now for Orlando Pirates, he will be a regular feature in the national team. But this is not new to me, he has been doing the same for the past two seasons.”

Sebelebele will be hoping to extend his good form to the national team, if he gets a chance to play, to nail down a place ahead of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations set to take place in Morocco in December. 

<!-- Author Start -->Joel Oliver<!-- Author End -->

Joel Oliver

Author

Joel Oliver is a seasoned multimedia sports journalist with a rich background in covering diverse football stories and events in South Africa and beyond.
His extensive coverage spans subjects touching on the PSL, with a focus on the Big Three (Orlando Pirates, Kaizer Chiefs & Mamelodi Sundowns), Bafana Bafana and Banyana Banyana.

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