Safa Cape Town Coca-Cola Cup graduate, Siphosethu Meveni, 25, has signed a two-year contract with top flight side, Richards Bay Football Club, in KwaZulu-Natal.
Sporo, as Siphosethu is known, following his admiration of former Bafana Bafana and Kaizer Chiefs legend, Mike “Sporo” Mangena, represented City Lovers, Chippa United and FC Porto, in the Coke Cup between 2013 and 2015.
Originally from Centane, Gqunqe, in the Eastern Cape, Sporo started playing football at the age of 6 and joined City Lovers a few years later.
He furthered his soccer career for Mitchell’s Plain Local Football Association side, MPCE Football Academy.
Sporo attended St Mary’s Primary School in Nyanga, Oaklands High School in Lansdowne, and graduated with a National Diploma in Public Management, from CPUT, in 2018.
Two seasons ago, he won two Man of the Match awards with UWC in the Varsity Cup while doing a short course.
Last season Sporo assisted Zizwe United into the GladAfrica group stages.
Sporo was assisted by former Kaizer Chiefs player, Gabriel Nkanti and representative, Odwa Skunana. They recommended an assessment with Richards Bay, and as he says, “the rest is history.”
Sporo said like any other sport, football also has its challenges, however, hard work, dedication to his craft and the right circle, has kept him going.
“Attending trials in the same initiative three times and not making it… I had to overcome that and I told myself, ’my football clearly hasn’t met the right eyes for it’ and that kept me going till today,” he said.
“I’d advise the youngsters to be focused on the game, love it and do it with passion. Discipline, hard work and dedication is key in this game and they must socialise themselves with people on the same grind,” he said.
Nkanti said Sporo is a driven youngster, with a bright future ahead of him. And, thanks to the arrangement between him and Skunana, the passionate footballer has a place to continue his career.
“He’s very happy and excited about playing there. It’s a new province, new atmosphere and it will provide new challenges for him. Playing at this level of the NFD will also create more avenues and opportunities for him. And this could make his dream come true. He has grabbed the opportunity of playing there with both hands and I hope he will do whatever he can to help his club and hopefully through his performance scouts will like him and scout him,” he said.
“I would like to encourage lots of young footballers to keep working hard and believe in themselves and eventually the doors will be open to my fellow friends and young footballers to “never give up” keep working hard,” said Nkanti.
Sporo is training with Richards Bay, in KZN, ahead of the GladAfrica Championship season opener against Jomo Cosmos, at Tsakane Stadium, on Sunday. He hopes to represent South Africa, one of the big five clubs in SA and play abroad in the near future.
