‘I wasn’t ready mentally… I just wanted the game to end’ – Thandani Ntshumayelo lifts lid on drug spiral

Former Orlando Pirates midfielder Thandani Ntshumayelo has reflected on the period that led to his four-year ban from football in 2016.

The 35-year-old, who has since retired, admitted that he fell into substance abuse and lost passion for the game during that turbulent chapter of his career.

Ntshumayelo, who still had a year and a half left on his contract with Orlando Pirates, said he was already considering a move to Bidvest Wits.

He revealed that at the time, he had stopped caring about football, stating, “I was taking drugs during the week, and at that time I wasn’t even playing.”

The midfielder described the match that would change his career. “Issa Sarr got sick or injured, and on Friday, I was told I was in the matchday squad. That whole week, they named me in the first team.”

Mentally unprepared, he admitted he struggled on the pitch. “I made a bad tackle and eventually got substituted. I was over everything, I couldn’t wait for the game to finish so I could go and buy drugs.”

The situation escalated when the team doctor called him for a doping test. “I saw the team doctor running towards me, and I thought he was excited to see me. He came and said, ‘Bibo, quick, let’s do a doping test.’ I thought he was joking.”

He admitted that he mentally surrendered, believing his career was over.

“Two weeks passed, then another week without any contact from the team. I told myself maybe the drug test wasn’t accurate. I then started retaking drugs and my behaviour became reckless.”

The aftermath was swift. Ntshumayelo received a call from the Pirates’ office requesting a meeting with him and his agent.

“I got to the office and saw the chairman. I could see in his eyes that he was disappointed. They suspended me before our match against Mamelodi Sundowns.”

Initially banned for four years, Ntshumayelo’s suspension was reduced to two years on appeal, allowing him to return to football in 2019.