In our exciting feature My Welcome To The League Moment, former Mamelodi Sundowns winger Raymond Monama remembers how Black Leopards chairman David Thidiela once left him open-mouthed.
Monama, who started his professional football career at Lidoda Duvha in the 2010/2011 season, says his most difficult game in the Premier Soccer League was against Bloemfontein Celtic.
"My first two matches were not that tough because we played at home," Monama tells KickOff.
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"The problem came when we played against Bloemfontein Celtic in Bloemfontein, which was one of the toughest places to go. It was a night game, and in the middle of the pitch I was up against Hlompho Kekana and Angelo Kerspuy. Those were days when Kekana was still a hard tackler.
"Jislaaik, I will never forget the way I was kicked on that cold night. The way our chairman, David Thidiela, entered the dressing room whistling after the match with hands in his pockets, I knew we were in trouble. He was very angry. We lost that match 2-0.
"I will not reveal who was he talking about, but Thidiela confronted our coach Sunday Chidzambwa, asking him, 'Are you blind? Don't you see this guy is costing my team? Do you want me to go and get someone who has better eyesight than you?'
"I was shocked to see a professional club owner talking like that to a coach and a player. But, to be honest, the team performed badly that day.
"Unlike today, those days football was tough. The way I was kicked that night by Kekana and Kerspuy, I couldn't enjoy the game.
"What I learned that night was that in the PSL, not every game was going to be enjoyable, there will be games where you will be facing opponents who play the man and not the ball.
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"At Leopards those days, we had Mongezi Bobe, the late Siphiwe Mkhonza and Khethokwakhe Masuku. We had a good team.
"Celtic didn't allow us to play football that day, they kicked everything that moved. Away games are never easy.
"That other guy Kerspuy didn't care if he broke your leg, he followed you everywhere. He kicked you even if you had released the ball.
"Those days referees didn't protect ball players as much as they do today. It was hard."
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