Mokete Tsotetsi recalls bizarre Kaizer Chiefs game with first goal and own goal

University of the Free State head coach Mokete Tsotetsi has recalled the unusual match in which he scored his first goal and first own goal in the same game.

Tsotetsi, who went on to establish himself as a centre-back with Kaizer Chiefs and Jomo Cosmos, shared key moments from his playing career in the latest edition of My First.

His football journey began at Blackpool from Boipatong when he was about 12. He initially played in goal, but only because he was the tallest player in the team and the regular goalkeeper was unavailable.

By the time he was 13, Tsotetsi had moved into defence and was still playing for Blackpool. That was when his mother bought him his first pair of football boots, the Puma Jomo Sono King.

“At that time, only big and moneyed players wore that boot. You wanted to do well playing in that boot,” he said.

Tsotetsi’s first professional club was FC Sporting in the National First Division. It was also during his time with the club that he bought his first mobile phone, an Ericsson model with a lid near the microphone.

He paid R800 for the phone, which prompted his team-mates to give him the nickname “cheese”.

His first PSL appearance came after he joined Jomo Cosmos. The match was against Silver Stars in 2004, ending in a 0-0 draw.

Tsotetsi remembered the fixture as his best game, explaining that the match took place while the teams were involved in a tournament in Saudi Arabia. He was particularly pleased with his performance against Silver Stars striker Dingane Masanabo, who was regarded as one of the country’s leading forwards at the time.

“But I managed to stop him,” Tsotetsi said.

The defender’s first PSL goal came while he was playing for Kaizer Chiefs, although the match against Santos also produced an unfortunate moment.

“I scored my first goal and my first own goal in that same match against Santos. At the end of that match, I was both a hero and a villain,” he said.

His first red card came during his second spell of the story at Jomo Cosmos. Tsotetsi said players were encouraged to deal with problems quickly, and he was dismissed after receiving two yellow cards.

“Bengidla umuntu straight ke lapho,” he recalled, describing the challenge. He still remembers the walk back to the dressing room, saying it felt as though he had let his team down.

Tsotetsi bought his first car in 2005. It was a Golf 3 TSi, for which he paid R80 0000.