Lekoelea tells players to follow Appollis’ example after Bafana Bafana display

Steve Lekoelea has urged footballers to emulate Oswin Appollis after the Bafana Bafana winger produced a three-assist performance in South Africa’s 5-0 AFCON qualifying win over Eritrea.

Appollis was influential for the Pitso Mosimane-coached side in Egypt on Wednesday, having helped South Africa secure the emphatic victory on Tuesday. Lekoelea praised the player for disregarding off-the-field discussion and focusing instead on following his coach’s instructions.

The former Orlando Pirates winger said Appollis had shown the qualities needed to perform consistently at the highest level for both club and country.

“Every player should behave like Appollis. In football, to last longer, you must be coachable; you have to be strong physically and mentally. Appollis is a national star. Yesterday he showed he can play at the highest level,” Lekoelea told KickOff.

Lekoelea’s assessment was less positive when discussing some of Appollis’ team-mates. He felt parts of the South Africa defence had treated Eritrea too lightly, warning that such an approach could become a recurring problem.

“The same can’t be said about some of his teammates; they were too casual, especially the keeper and the centre-backs. They undermined Eritrea. I’m afraid this might be a habit. To make the world respect you, you must destroy the smaller countries by scoring a lot of goals,” he added.

Overseas move would depend on finances

Appollis’ performance also prompted Lekoelea to consider whether the winger is ready to leave domestic football and pursue a move overseas.

Although he acknowledged the player had demonstrated his ability on the international stage, Lekoelea said any transfer would depend on discussions between Appollis and Orlando Pirates, as well as the financial terms involved.

“The way Appollis performed yesterday is special because he is playing locally. Is it the right time for him to move overseas? The agreement will be between Orlando Pirates and the player, because in the end everything is determined by money.”

Lekoelea added that financial demands were often the reason potential transfers failed to progress, but said Appollis had already provided evidence of his quality.

“Most of the time, deals fail to materialise because of money. But the boy has proved he can play; even during the World Cup he did well,” Lekoelea concluded.