When Patrick Mabedi’s last playing contract at Kaizer Chiefs came to an end in June 2006, his plans were not aligning to those of the club.
Mabedi was not just another player leaving Chiefs but a man who had earned his legendary status.
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Chiefs just didn’t want to shake hands and part ways with the man who won them their only ever continental title – the 2001 CAF Cup Winners Cup along with another nine trophies.
"To be honest, it was not easy to leave Chiefs because even up to this day I still take Chiefs as my home and I see family in them," Mabedi tells KickOff.com.
Mabedi played 230 games for AmaKhosi.
"I remember the chairman (Kaizer Motaung) had gone to the 2006 Germany for the World Cup.
"I think communication then became a problem because he wasn’t around, and I had to only talk to people that were around.
"Maybe if he had been around this would have turned out different.
"But then I had to respect the decision of those that I was in communication with, and I cannot deny that it was tough to leave Chiefs.
"Leaving Chiefs was out of my control because my contract expired that June (2006).
"Chiefs then offered me an opportunity as a development coach, but I still felt I can play for another two years.
"So, we never came to an agreement about that.
"As a professional footballer, the decision to stop playing must come from you because you are the one who plays and understands your body.
"I felt like I can still play another two years and had offers from Mamelodi Sundowns, Ajax Cape Town, Moroka Swallows, SuperSport United.
"However, I chose Swallows because they were in Johannesburg and the closest to where I stayed since they trained in Germiston.
"I chose a team for the sake of my kids who were still going to school by then.
"The environment remained the same for my kids instead of having to go away to another club which is something I didn’t want.
"I fulfilled my mission of playing another two years while I was at Swallows.
"After that I told them that I now want to move on since I was a businessman.
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"They insisted on that they will not allow me to move as they needed me to work with the club as a community relations officer.
"From there, I became a development coach working with Eddie Lewis," explains Mabedi.
