Jali can be catalyst for Swallows to soar

Andile Jali has reunited with mentor Steve Komphela at Moroka Swallows this season, the latest chapter in a career of ups and downs for one of the best South African midfielders of his generation.

Jali brings experience, football intelligence and no shortage of skill as Komphela looks to balance his Swallows midfield with what he sees as the perfect candidate to drive The Birds up the table this season.

The pair were together for the last few years at Sundowns, but have a relationship that stretches back much further than that to national team football.

They trust each other, which is important in football, and Jali can be a real leader in the new-look Swallows aside under Komphela.

Jali, who hails from Matatiele in the Eastern Cape and played for local side Hotspurs, was scouted by the late former Bafana Bafana coach Clive Barker while playing in the Coca-Cola Football Stars event in what is now Gqeberha in 2007.

"I had a look at this kid who walked like Mecro 'Masterpieces' Moripe, the former Pretoria Callies star," Barker told reporters in 2010. "I watched him take a free-kick outside the box and I remember saying to the lady next me, 'This kid will put the ball in the back of the net’. He walked up and did just that."

He was recommended to Barker’s nephew Steve, then coach of second-tier University of Pretoria, and signed with AmaTuks, where he would go on to be a driving force in their 2009 run to the final of the Nedbank Cup that ended in defeat to, ironically, Swallows.

Jali missed the final due to suspension, a real blow to AmaTuks, but it was in that competition that he rose to national attention and had a host of topflight clubs chasing his services.

“They gave him a bursary to complete his matric. He excelled at Tuks under the guidance of my nephew, Steven Barker,” the former Bafana Bafana coach added.

"He blossomed, and helped the club reach the Nedbank Cup final. Although we wanted him to join AmaZulu, he signed for Orlando Pirates.”

Jali excellent with The Buccaneers, playing a major role in their ‘Double Treble’ when they landed six trophies between 2010 and 2012, including back-to-back league titles.

He also helped Pirates reach the final of the CAF Champions League in 2013, though just like the Nedbank Cup in 2009, he missed the second leg through suspension, which had a huge impact on Roger de Sa’s side as they lost in Cairo.

More galling, the yellow card that put him out was picked up in the 92nd minutes at the end of the game.

But they were heady days and he was the driving force, a young star who many at the time tipped for the very top of the game.

But there was also misfortune. He missed out on the final squad for the 2010 World Cup on home soil due to a heart ailment, a mild cardiovascular condition for which he sought treatment in the United States.

He had that treatment – and has had no reported issues since – but was not selected for Carlos Alberto Parreira’s final squad, a move that left him bitterly disappointed.

Jali made the move to Belgium midway through the 2013/14 season and spent four-and -a-half seasons with Oostende.

He was mostly a regular, though also had spells out with injury and was at times criticised for off-field issues that limited bis performances. The arrival of coach Yves Vanderhaeghe towards the end of the 2016/17 season seemed to play a role in his rejuvenation.

“It helps that he has lost two kilograms‚" Vanderhaeghe said at the time. "And one thing that is certain is the quality is definitely there. In training he has shown that he has regained his motivation and his smile."

Jali had a strong final campaign in Belgium after that before moving home to join Sundowns ahead of the 2018/19 season.

It was a slow start at Chloorkop as he was brought up to speed, but he would turn into an invaluable part of the set-up, his best campaign in 2021/22, when for many he was the leading midfielder in the country.

In all he has seven DStv Premiership titles, two with Pirates and five at Sundowns, three wins in the Nedbank Cup, two Telkom Knockout trophies and three MTN8 winners’ medals.

In the 2021/22 season he was named the best player in both the MTN8 and Nedbank Cup competitions, but he battled to regain that form last term where he found opportunities limited at Sundowns.

That led to his exit from Chloorkop, which Komphela will hope is their loss and Swallows’ gain.