Ever since his childhood, Alpheus Thantsha’s dream was to help kids especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds to realise their dreams of playing football at professional level. His dedication to the game gave birth to the idea of him starting a football academy. For those close to him, it came as no surprise that, in his early 20s, he already had his own academy for boys in Tshwane despite his limited resources, having arrived in the city from Limpopo with no substantial funding. At such a young age, he was already sending players overseas, with one of his success stories being that of Tebogo Letlhake whom he managed to send on trial in Spain. In the end things didn’t work out as planned for the player who retired at Polokwane City Rovers. The journey hasn’t been without any hiccups for Thantsha as he narrates in this interview with Soccer Laduma’s Masebe Qina that he has had to live in constant fear of losing his life in recent times. The Polokwane-born man believes that his outspoken nature doesn’t always sit well with some people in the industry, including those who hold higher positions in the country’s football administration. Sit back and enjoy this no–holds–barred interview as the father of two tells his sad and terrifying story, including allegations of molestation labelled against him and being hit by a car in what he regards as an attempt to silence him.
Masebe Qina: My brother, we understand you’ve got a story to tell about your hardships in the football industry. The floor is yours.
Alpheus Thantsha: Yeah, to be honest, I don’t know where to start. But I’ve been in football for quite a long time. I’ve dealt with a lot of players, young and old, and others made it while others didn’t. In the football industry, my brother, a lie is told and circulated all over social media. People read the lie, get used to it, and because of social media, it spreads very quickly to a point whereby people believe it to be the truth. As long as it makes sense to them, it becomes the truth to them. So, a person like me, having been in football for so long, I have dealt with different people and I’m talking about coaches, agents and players. So, there have been problems after problems for me, despite all the good work that I’ve done.
