THABANG REGOENG
New Township Rollers signing Tshepo ‘Skhwama Samatariyana’ Matete’s dazzling ball skills have sparked a frenzy among spectators and pundits in regard to him being an entertainment tool and unproductive.
Making his Popa debut against Tafic a fortnight ago, Skhwama came under the spotlight throwing step overs coupled with no look passes much to the satisfaction of the crowd. While Matete’s traits may scream luxuriousness bordering on frivolousness, Serbian coach Nikola Kavazovic has laid down rules on how to get the best out of the winger.
“Those things (show boating) that he is doing for the audience to have fun, I do not mind. But he knows that he has to do that when are two goals up or more so he respects that part,” the Serb stated in his post match interview against Tafic.
Over the years Botswana has had its fair share of talented and skilful footballers who have had crowds and viewers glued to their screens and in huge attendances on match days. Throw in the likes of Phenyo Mongala, Dirang Moloi (in their peak years), Matete’s signing is deemed as a welcome addition to the entertainment side of the sport.
Adding thrust and adventure down the flanks, the dreadlocked winger has been granted to take residence at last chance saloon with the defending Premiership champions. This publication has learned that prior to Matete’s move to Baroka the skilful attacker attracted interest from South African giants Kaizer Chiefs & Orlando Pirates. However the move fell through,with many dubbing him a crowd entertainer than a team player.
The latest to join in the queue of unsatisfactory remarks on Skhwama’s playing style is local soccer analysts Fabian Zulu and Seabo Gabanakgosi who pulled no punches in their assessment of the winger.
“I am not a big fan of that kind of play, it has no purpose,”Gabanakgosi stated. Zulu on the other hand branded Matete’s skills as unacceptable to most competitive leagues, even in Europe. “I do not feel that kind of play is acceptable, in most cases English teams find it as an act of indiscipline,”said Zulu.
In modern football, there are not many offensive players willing to track a player back in their own half and Matete falls in that pack of players. Critics have pointed out that Skhwama’s antics often have no end product, a style which is often criticized by professional coaches.
Surprisingly in Popa’s recent 2-0 win over Black Forest this past weekend, the latter was deployed as a left wing-back, a call which caught attention. The left wing-back position is perhaps one of the most unglamorous positions in the game, but Matete’s versatility has been put to the test which he has passed with flying colours so far.