Mabogo regrets leaving Chiefs

TSHEPO MOLWANE
Staff Writer | Monday July 5, 2010 00:00

Since joining the Reds in January, Mabogo has been a shadow of himself and has seen very little action. He told Sport Monitor that he joined the Reds because of ex-Chiefs' coach Mike Sithole. But he did not get the chance to play because Sithole was fired by GU.

'Dubula (Sithole) believes in my abilities and he is the one who influenced me to join GU, unfortunately when I got there, he had moved on. It was now difficult for me to prove myself to the other coach and I became more frustrated because of lack of game time,' Mabogo said.

He pointed out that he will not stay at GU because Sithole has rejoined the club. He said it is time to seek a club which will help him rediscover his old form. Almost two seasons ago, Mabogo was a hit at Chiefs, forming a deadly combination with Jerome Ramatlhakwana and Pontsho Moloi, but his form has never been the same since joining GU. 'Honestly, I have to admit that it was wrong to leave Chiefs.

It was at Chiefs where I enjoyed my game and the people there made me comfortable. Even if tomorrow they (Chiefs) give me a call, I will not hesitate to go back.  I have to be a man and own up to my mistake (leaving Chiefs),' an emotional Mabogo said. He denied reports that he was sidelined at GU because he was wasteful in front of  the goal. 'Missing chances happen in football and it might have been influenced by lack of confidence. It is upon the technical team to work with you on your shortfalls and I believe that this coming season,I'll be back to my old form.'  If it was not for the then coach David Bright, Mabogo believes that he will still be at GU. Bright has since moved back to his former club Bay United in the South African First Division. Mabogo claims that he has never enjoyed a healthy relationship with the no-nonsense tactician. 'I understand that Bright and the technical team recommended that I be put on transfer list. It came as no surprise because from the days at Mogoditshane Fighters, Bright has never appreciated me as a player,' he said.

GU secretary Kagiso Sebele confirmed at the weekend that they released Mabogo on the recommendation of the technical team. He said that Mabogo has the blessing of his committee to find a new home and wished him good luck.

'Though he was with us for a short time, he never gave any problems and was committed to the club. It's unfortunate that we had to release him, but he must not take it in a bad way,' he said.

Meanwhile, GU have confirmed that they have signed defender Musa Ohilwe and winger Thebe Maiketso from BMC. Sebele said that with their experience, the two are expected to bring a new dimension to the team's game-plan in the coming season.

'We're not done with recruiting because there are still areas which we are lacking like in strike-force. We will also look into our youth system,' said Sebele.