Johannesburg — Orlando Pirates legend Happy Jele is not an entitled or bitter man, he understands that life at the club will continue with or without him.
Jele made his professional breakthrough at Pirates, having joined the club in 2006 at the age of 19 under the tutelage of Milutin ‘Micho’ Sredojevic.
Over the years, he honed his craft and became a fully-fledged member of their defence and won many trophies while becoming the club’s most capped player after making more than 400 appearances during a 15-year stint.
His relationship with Pirates seemed to be a match made in heaven but the universe had other ideas. Jele left the club last year after his contract ended, turning down a non-playing position offer as he felt he still had enough in his legs to continue playing.
He resurfaced at Royal AM in the second half of the season, joining the club on a short term deal that’s reportedly set to expire at the end of June 2024.
Jele, speaking at the Carling Black Label Champion’s Day Activation in Braamfontein on Saturday, is not thinking of taking Pirates up on their offer yet and he won’t feel bad if it’s no longer there in future
“We can’t predict the future. When the job is no longer there, it’s fine. I need to go somewhere – work somewhere. But for now, the ball is still with me and the team,” Jele said.
“I think they are waiting for me because when we had talks with the team, I said I wanted to go and play. And they gave me the blessing saying ‘go and finish’.
“They also told me that once I feel like I am done, I can come back, the door is still open. So, when my days are over, I’ll go there and see what happens. If the offer is no longer there, I’ll have to find another way.”
And while his future remains a mystery, the 36-year-old has been working on his coaching badges as he has an interest in venturing into coaching once his playing days are over.
His desire to pursue a footballing career elsewhere instead of hanging up his boots and joining Pirates in another department gave Innocent Maela the captaincy and the Bafana Bafana international has grabbed the opportunity, leading his side to two trophies, the MTN8 and Nedbank Cup.
Jele is not bitter after Pirates' newly found success, instead he’s proud of the fact that he laid the foundation that the remaining players can build from.
“I won trophies at Pirates – you know that. If it’s not your time, then it’s not your time to win trophies. To people who come and tell me I’ve blocked, I don’t mind that,” Jele said.
“I know that I did my best for the team. I did my best in that position. I won some trophies and lost some. With the new team that came in and won trophies, that’s good for the team.
“I am happy because I taught some of those boys a lot of things, and just to see them win a lot while I am not in that position, I am grateful and happy for that.”
IOL Sport