Gora Ebrahim is a former Orlando Pirates defender who is infamously remembered for a moment of madness while playing for Rabali Blackpool in 1995.
He played in one Soweto Derby – the 1993 Iwisa Maize Meal Spectacular final against Kaizer Chiefs – and says up until this day he does not remember how much The Buccaneers paid for his services, a club he joined against his will.
"It was a time when agents did not exist," he explains to snl24.com/kickoff.
"We were at the mercy of clubs and we were told to move where we were told. I also had a firm offer from Kaizer Chiefs and Kaizer Motaung went public in his desire to have me at Chiefs. Interestingly enough, [Augusto] Palacios tried to sign me a few months earlier when he was at [Mamelodi] Sundowns.
"Despite all of this interest, I ended up at Orlando Pirates who were not my first choice. Pirates were not the preferred destination of many at that time. Chiefs and Sundowns were stable and successful. I really wanted to team up with Lucas Radebe."
He says he enjoyed his football at the now-defunct Dynamos.
"At Dynamos I played in the NSL [National Soccer League]. They gave me an opportunity after I was rejected by both Wits and Jomo Cosmos and my time was running out. Dynamos was a very well-run club.
"We were also a bit of a glamour club. We were certainly the best-dressed team in the league having obtained a sponsor from Pierre Cardin and kit sponsor Adidas. We had great players and wonderful personalities at the club.
"It was here I believe I played my best football. The club backed me and I ended up being voted as the JPS Player of the Series in 1991. This was also my debut season. After two years I joined Pirates. As I have said earlier, at the time I would have chosen better if I had a say. Pirates are very well run now... from what I hear. We won the Iwisa Cup and BP Top 8 in quick succession."
Ebrahim, who now works as a school headmaster, says the most he earned during his playing career was at the Soweto giants.
"I think I earned around R2 500 at Pirates, which was a lot of money at the time. I was good at saving, I lived a clean and disciplined life and still do. I was also earning as a teacher. I'm in the 30th year as a teacher. I'm currently the headmaster at a private school in Houghton," he reveals.
"I got married a few weeks before I joined Pirates. I have three daughters and a son. My children are almost all adults now. The eldest is 25, Shazzia is a journalist. Rezwaana is 23 and she is in administration at a school in Buccleuch. Daanyaal my son who is 20 is studying at UJ at the moment, while Aaliyaah, 18, is still at school and in matric.
"My wife Munira and I are very proud of them. We are very close as a family. I live a fairly simple life, which is dominated by my work and by my family. Recently I bought a motorcycle, a mini cruiser. I intend spending many hours on the open road over weekends."
Although there are a few regrets Ebrahim will always have in his football career, there is one he will never forget. While still on the books of Rabali Blackpool in 1995, Ebrahim kicked Walter Rautmann in the chest after he was substituted, resulting in the Austrian-born coach landing in hospital with broken ribs.
"My famous meltdown in Venda will always be associated with me," he admits. "Much has been said and written about that incident but I have moved on and rebuilt my life around education. That incident made me stronger. It has humbled me and made me appreciate what I have more.
"I take full responsibility for my actions and blame nobody. I also take comfort from watching some high-profile meltdowns on the sports fields in recent times. It shows that I was human and that these things do happen sometimes."