DURBAN City, who will be playing in the Caf Confederation Cup next season, has a challenge to go out and hunt for a goalkeeper as its two goalkeepers, Darren Keet and Ayanda “Pepe” Mtshali, hung up their gloves at the end of the season.
Not long after Keet (36) announced that he is quitting football, Mtshali has also revealed that this is his last season.
Mtshali (38) who hails from Section 3, Madadeni, Newcastle, revealed that he made the decision after City won the Motsepe Foundation Championship last season. He said he planned to play one season in the Betway Premiership.
“I thought it was time to give others a chance, especially since I wasn’t getting the chance to play regularly. At my age, I need to play regularly.”
“After we won the Motsepe Foundation Championship last season, it was already in my plans to play one season in the Betway Premiership, and then retire from football.
“What makes me happy is that I gave up football and the gold medal by winning the Nedbank Cup with my team Durban City,” said Mtshali, who started playing professional football in the 2010/11 season for Black Leopards.
He also played for Free State Stars, Bloemfontein Celtic, Chippa United, before joining City in the 2023/24 season, still called Maritzburg United.
He said that although he has entered the music industry, he will not leave football as he is in the process of improving himself through training. He holds a Caf D Licence.
“I have always had a love for music since I was young. In 2018, I opened a studio called Unified Entertainment in Johannesburg, with my younger brother, Anele.
“We stopped for a few years, and in January this year, we opened the studio again, and we signed six artists to record in it.
“I have started training the goalkeepers in our Diski Challenge team. But I will see later which path I follow in realizing my dream of becoming a full-time coach,” said Mtshali.
Citizens currently have two goalkeepers, namely Fredrick Asare who was signed by the club this season from Asante Kotoko of Ghana, and Adren Dreyer who was also signed this season from Cape Town Spurs.