Remember Lifa Gqosha in the colours of Kaizer Chiefs? The former player’s schoolkids probably do not believe him when he says so.
KAIZER CHIEFS CAREER
Most readers probably don’t remember Gqosha in the heart of Amakhosi’s central defence in the 1990s. Born in Pimville, Soweto, Gqosha began playing for Pimville Brothers before he moved to Orlando Pirates and later to Bush Bucks in Umthatha, Eastern Cape. Gqosha initially played football as a hobby while teaching by day. The would-be Kaizer Chiefs star was visiting home in Soweto when a scout from Amakhosi knocked on the door.
“I was very shocked when the Kaizer Chiefs scouting manager, Stanley Tshabalala knocked on my door,” Gqosha told the club’s YouTube channel. “He asked to see my father. They started chatting and he told me that I should come and join Kaizer Chiefs. When I went to Kaizer Chiefs, I stopped teaching. I started to see the professionalism when I started training there,” Gqosha added.
Lifa Gqosha in action for Kaizer Chiefs at the FNB Stadium. Image: @safootclassics/x.
Gqosha later moved to Dynamos until his retirement and the start of his coaching career in the amateur ranks in Soweto.
BACK TO TEACHING
After facing financial instability as a budding young coach, the former Kaizer Chiefs defender was inspired to return to the classroom. Gqosha restarted his career as a Grade 6 and 7 teacher in Soshanguve, Pretoria. “The first day I arrived, it was a totally different environment,’ Gqosha added. “I was used to green grass, a soccer ball, ice tubes and soccer boots.
“Scenes like the children running around, making noise in their uniforms. It was a bit awkward and unusual, so I felt a bit lost,” the former Kaizer Chiefs central defender added. “I did not want to assert that this is where I belong. But as time went on, I quickly adjusted to the situation. [You have to] create that bond between yourself and the learners that you are teaching so that they don’t only see you as a teacher but you have to be a parent as well.”
Do you remember watching Gqosha playing for Amakhosi or only hearing stories from your father or uncles? Let us know in the comments section below.
Meanwhile, Gqosha is most likely to watch some football tonight. His former club Kaizer Chiefs will host the might Mamelodi Sundowns at the FNB Stadium. A win for Sundowns will seal a record seventh title in a row. Kick-off will be at 19:30.