In April, his team was crowned the Super League champions for the second year running. Last weekend, BDF XI walloped Mogoditshane Fighters 2-0 to win the Coca-Cola Cup. It was an important achievement for him. This was the first time he won the Coke Cup since taking over the reigns at BDF XI in 2000. Tshosane, who always thanks God for his successes, is not religious by accident. His mother was a priest. Of course when he was growing up, he was forced to go to church. The turning point in his religious life came in 1990. He made a firm decision to go to church and chose the Zion Christian Church (ZCC). Ever since, he has never looked back. He goes to church regularly despite his tight schedule. “Every little opportunity I get, I make sure that I go to church,” he says.
He is so committed that he has approached the church elders to inform them about the way his tight schedule affects his church activities. He was overwhelmed by the response that he got. “They informed me that all that I am doing is the work of the Lord. They said when I am not in church, they would always know that I am engaged somewhere else. This inspired me greatly.”
He makes time to go to church either on Saturday or Sunday depending on when his team plays. Ask him whether he ever prays when he is on the bench and his team is under pressure and he laughs his lungs out. His answer is that when things do not go well, everyone looks up to the Lord for guidance. “You have to remind God that you are there as he may have forgotten about you.”
But how did it all begin for him? Like all young men of his age, he tasted the good times. He admits that he did all the things that young people would do.
But as time went on, he took stock of himself and felt he must go back to the church. “My life was not going well and a friend encouraged me to go to ZCC as they would help me. I went with him and I was shocked by the fact that they foretold my problems even before I could tell them what my problems were.”
As a coach and a staunch Christian, how does he view the use of muti in football? He has a philosophical approach to the issue. He believes that everyone is entitled to their own beliefs as this is a democratic country and he would not want to cast aspersions. However, he believes in prayer. “Even when I was with David Bright at Fighters, we never believed in muti but prayer. But we never stopped our manager from doing what he thought was best for the team, for as long as those things were not applied on us and the players. Within a short period of time, he came back to tell us that muti did not work,” he says. Don’t be mistaken about Tshosane. He has tried black magic before, but he is now convinced that the word of God overpowers all.
Born 47 years ago in Jackalas No.1, Tshosane completed Junior Certificate in 1975 at Shashe River School. Interestingly, he is sitting for O’Levels examinations this year. He is a man who is out to acquire as much knowledge as possible. He is a holder of a Diploma in Business English. Tshosane has also read extensively about football coaching. His coaching journey started in 1988. In 2002, he attended a course in England and Brazil to acquire skills on coaching. He possesses two advance coaching certificates and a “B” license from the English Football Association.
Despite his seven years as an international player, nobody seems to remember that Tshosane was a Zebras’ player. He played for BDF XI, Tasc, Chobe Football Club and Mophane Football Club. Between 1980 and 1987 he played for the national team. His illustrious career that spurns 12 years was cut short by knee injuries. He quit playing on doctor’s orders. His wish is that local coaches could stand up to the challenge and dispel the myth that foreign coaches are better. However, he asserts that foreign coaches are important as they add another dimension to local football.
