Former Baroka FC head coach Kgoloko Thobejane says he is glad people are starting to see his point when it comes to his legendary phrase, 'Football can kill you.'
The Limpopo-born coach became a laughing stock when he first uttered those words back when Bakgaga were still dreaming of competing with the big teams.
But today, after a memorable 1-0 victory over title-chasing Mamelodi Sundowns that could go a long way to saving Baroka's PSL status, coach Pitso Mosimane will know exactly what he meant.
READ: What Baroka players said to Madisha
Even Kaizer Chiefs coach Ernst Middendorp was reminded that football results can be a slippery slope when the league leaders lost to Bidvest Wits earlier on Sunday.
With the unpredictability of recent Absa Premiership matches in the bio-bubble, many people are starting to quote Thobejane once again after every shock result.
"Ea bolaya football nyaaa [football kills]!" Thobejane tells snl24.com/kickoff.
"Aah people don't understand because if you are connected to what you love, once you say something people don't understand. You say something they make it a joke and laugh.
"They will take time to understand that guy was really meaning something and it was it real."
READ: Pitso: Baroka disrespected Madisha
Asked how it makes him feel to now see people using his words so often to illustrate how fragile the line is between success and failure is football, Thobejane was proud.
"[Laughing] I'm laughing every day. This football hey hey hey, but what can you say? Just like yesterday's first game, ladliwa le Khosi [Chiefs lost], Sundowns... they were standing celebrating. Phefeni are crying. Aah!
"Their time finally arrived at eight. Mamelodi [laughs]. I was laughing by myself, alone. I was reminded of that time Barcelona was beaten 8-2 [by Bayern Munich]. I said to myself... 'Jaaa... it will keep on killing people!'
"E tla o bolaya nyaa! That is real death. So makhosi le masandawana won't wake up today, I don't know maybe they will wake up on Wednesday after playing again. Wits University and Baroka beat them.
READ: Pitso pitches up as Ernst goes home
"At the moment you can't predict who is going to win the league because the two teams are not playing. You look at Sundowns when they beat Kaizer Chiefs, they score a goal and then they start to park the bus.
"I was laughing to see what Pitso is doing. I said to myself, 'He can't win the next game, they will beat him 1-0 and park the bus then he will be confused.' Yes, because he is starting to play other coaches' football now. He was not used to that one Pitso.
"But these days he's struggling, I don't know why. So yesterday 1-0, baaam! They [Baroka] park the bus the same as him. Can he complain [laughing]? Because now parking a bus is his song.
"Yaa... what happened to Kaizer Chiefs on that day? Ja, history repeats itself. It happened to him. Football... will kill you."
Besides Thobejane, see 14 former PSL head coaches who disappeared from the touchlines