Kopo reveals how he persuaded Appollis to resume football after year away

Former Pretoria Callies coach Kwanele Kopo says he had to make a sustained effort to persuade Orlando Pirates winger Oswin Appollis to return to football after the player spent almost a year considering giving up the sport.

Appollis left SuperSport United after the 2020/21 season, admitting that he had gone AWOL while struggling with an ill-disciplined lifestyle influenced by friends and peer pressure. He then returned to his family home in Bishop Lavis, Cape Town.

At the time, Appollis was 20 and had stopped playing altogether. He was contemplating a return to life on the streets when Kopo, his former youth coach at SuperSport United, intervened. Kopo had recently been appointed coach of Pretoria Callies and contacted the winger in an attempt to bring him back into the football system.

Speaking to journalists at the University of Pretoria, former Chippa United coach Kopo described the situation as painful and said Appollis needed significant encouragement before agreeing to return.

“At that time he had been sitting at home for over a year not playing football and it was very painful for me as a football coach and for someone who is passionate about youngsters and South African talent. I immediately called him and it took a lot of convincing, getting him to come back,” Kopo said.

Kopo acknowledged that Appollis would not earn substantial money at Callies, but urged him to use the opportunity as a route back into professional football.

“I said to him, listen, ‘You’re not going to earn a lot at Callies but give me a season to try and get you back into the system’,” Kopo said.

He also used Appollis’ previous involvement with South Africa Under-20 as an incentive, pointing to a possible opportunity with the Under-23 side.

“One of the motivating things that I told him was that I was part of the Under-23 setup as an assistant coach to David Notoane and we were going for the second phase of qualifying for the Olympics.

“And I felt Oswin, having played for SA Under-20, he deserved to play, definitely for U23. I said, ‘The next generation is your age, you can’t miss out on Under-23.'”

Kopo said discussions with Appollis and his mother eventually convinced the player to accept the offer and resume his career.

“And having spoken to him and his mother, that was the ultimate convincing. From then on, look at what has happened,” he added.