Kaizer Chiefs players Jimmy Tau, Gerald Sibeko and Kaizer Motaung Junior along with club communications manager Thebe Mohatle attended the careers expo being held at the Tshwane show grounds in the capital city on Wednesday morning.

The Amakhosi were invited to the expo by their sponsors Vodacom and were given the opportunity to address learners from various schools around the capital city about what pursuing a career in the football industry will entail.

Amakhosi communications manager Thebe Mohatle introduced the players to the crowd which totaled around 500 learners, and once that was done, learners were afforded the opportunity to ask questions to the Chiefs players.

With defender Jimmy Tau coming out to field a number of questions with one student asking what would life after football hold for him, he said “As a soccer player I am aware that my life span or career will last for about ten to fifteen years and as a result I have to prepare myself for the years after football, so I have made contingency plans. I have continued educating myself while continuing with rigors of life as a footballer by doing a marketing degree.”

Chiefs midfielder Gerald Sibeko, when answering a similar question added “As a professional sportsman you have to take care of your chief assets, and for me that would be ensuring that I remain in a good state mentally and physically by eating correctly and generally keeping fit. My intention is to continue playing football as long as I can, perhaps till late into my thirties, but once I can no longer continue I have my eyes set on getting a job in the computer business as I do have a few qualifications in the IT Department.”

With the crowd not pulling any punches, the Chiefs players had to be on their guard and in particular striker Kaizer Motaung Junior, who had to answer a number of questions around his famous surname as well as why he followed the same career path as his father. To which Motaung answered with remarkable confidence saying “The career path I have taken was not planned for me and I was not asked to become a professional footballer. I have a great passion for the game of soccer and have worked hard to get to where I have got to, having a good supportive infrastructure around you to help fulfill your dream is most definitely a plus factor.”

Jimmy Tau answered the final question thrown at the players, when a learner from the Eersterust High School asked him about whether or not there is a problem of alcohol abuse amongst professional soccer players. To which Tau answered “I cannot speak for anyone else, but what I will say is that as a person who young kids look up to, one needs to display behavior that is socially and morally correct. Indulgence and over excessive indulgence in alcohol has terrible side effects one one’s physical well being, and being in a job where I need to be in a peak physical state abusing my body with alcohol will not get me far”.

The final word was left to Thebe Mohatle who in a very animated and colorful address told the gathered crowd “If you add the word attitude together you will find that it totals 100. Which means that in life your attitude towards anything must always be 100%, and commit yourself 100% to anything you do and right now have the right attitude towards your studies, as getting an education will go along way towards helping you to be successful in your life.”