Happy Jele feels that the tournament will allow him to pass his skills and share the knowledge acquired over the years with players across the team divide.
ORLANDO Pirates veteran Happy Jele will not only captain Warriors in the first-ever DStv Compact Cup in Durban this weekend, but he will also be a vital figure in the tournament.
It will be up to the stalwart to help pass the knowledge that he has gained over the years to younger players in the tournament.
The Dylan Kerr-coached Warriors will take on Amabutho in the second semi-final tomorrow night at the Moses Mabhida Stadium.
Jele feels that the tournament will allow him to pass his skills and share the knowledge acquired over the years with players across the team divide.
Jele’s team will include players from TS Galaxy, Kaizer Chiefs and Moroka Swallows. Other veterans that he will team up with include out-of-favour Chiefs goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune and in-form Amakhosi attacker Keagan Dolly.
Pirates teammates that Jele will be uniting with in the Warriors team include Kwame Peprah, Paseka Mako, Olisah Ndah, Thembinkosi Lorch and Deon Hotto.
“It will be a great trophy to try and add to my cabinet. To be able to play in a tournament with different players from different teams means a lot to me. The tournament is uniting different players in the country,” said Jele.
Some have been critical of the Compact Cup due to its rushed nature and players have only had two days to train. However, Jele believes that the familiarity that the players have with each other domestically makes things easier.
“The last time I played in games where we had only two days to train was at Under-14 and Under-17 levels. This one will be easier because we know each other from the domestic games. We have to excite the fans who voted for us and we are honoured to represent them,” said Jele.
Jele will look to establish good lines of communication with his players to ensure that the team functions cohesively as a unit. He believes that establishing a good internal culture within his team is one of the most important things that he can do.
“We have to make sure that the players feel comfortable so that they can gel with us. As senior players, we must communicate so that the team functions as a unit,” said Jele.
While the semi-finals of the Compact will be held in Durban, the final and third place play-off will take place at the FNB Stadium in Johannesburg next Saturday.
