Matome, a recruiter for the North-West University (NWU), is known for his management talents with regard to local football teams. This is why he was personally recruited and has a pivotal role to play in the restoration of Swallows FC.
As the previous shareholder of the team Manco Milano FC, Matome helped his team grow at an incredible pace. The team won the SAB league and qualified for the ABC Motsepe league. When the team went through to the ABC Motsepe League, it was clear to Matome and his partner that the ownership of the team must change and he became the operational manager of the Orange Vaal Professionals.
Many Manco Milano players decided to go with him. At that stage, Orange Vaal Professionals was a bottom-of-the-log team, but later – under the guidance of Matome – they won their match against then, Moroka Swallows and ended in the second position of their league.
It is this zero-to-hero intervention that Swallows are looking for and that Matome has already began to deliver. The team, who has been playing in the interim brand “Swallows FC”, has already started to reap the benefits that come with their new team manager.
The team has won three matches since Matome’s appointment and currently finds themselves in the top two teams in their region, making their way to the finals of the Nedbank Cup. They are working very hard to reach first place, which will put them through to the next round and in the running with 31 other teams, among which PSL teams, who will compete for the Nedbank Cup.
The day-to-day activities required to keep a football club running smoothly doesn’t happen on its own. It takes meticulous planning, an eye for detail and great communication skills. Matome says that many years of experience have taught him that the game is not always won on the football field. That is why any team under his operational management will never have to be concerned about transport, accommodation, salaries, clothing or any other logistic aspects. He is also the person who talks to the caterers about the specific diets of the players and who discusses the facilities for the team with their opponents when playing away.
*Mr Lesufi is leading the effort to bring Swallows back by bringing the ownership of the team to the supporters and in so doing, raising R200 million in order to buy the club a National First Division of PSL status. He recently introduced the interim name Swallows FC, complete with a new logo, as he told the media about his revival plans for the club at a press conference.
The NWU’s Matome Kganakga is the football mastermind behind making Moroka Swallows great again.
