Jabu Maluleke: It breaks my heart to see guys not doing well after football.

SuperSport United Under-19, and senior team set-piece coach, Jabu Maluleke, has revealed one of the reasons why some ex professional footballers struggle to make ends meet at the end of their careers.

Maluleke, who had a long playing career in the professional ranks, featuring for Black Leorpards, Polokwane City, and SuperSport United, says alcohol abuse is one of the reasons why some of his teammates never reached their full potential, and struggle after their playing days are over.

"It is sad because the careers of some of our players were messed up by drinking and smoking," Maluleke told Times Live.
https://www.timeslive.co.za/sport/soccer/2023-04-14-i-played-with-people-who-came-to-training-drunk-ex-supersport-star-jabu-maluleke/

"It is sad to see your colleagues not doing well after playing football, it breaks my heart because some of them used to earn a lot of money and were very good. It breaks my heart to see guys not doing well after football.

"Know where to go, know when and what to do. I don’t think it is a problem for guys to be drinking alcohol, but know your limits. You must know when to drink, you cannot drink on Friday knowing you are going to play on Saturday or Sunday."

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According to Maluleke, he sometimes had to pick up some of his colleagues at ungodly hours from their drinking sprees, with some of them arriving to training drunk.

"I don’t drink, but I have played and hung out a lot with people who drink. I have played with people who used to come to training drunk and I have rescued a lot of people calling me at 2am or 3am asking me to come and pick them up. 

"I had to make sure they wake up the next morning and if they don’t wake up I have to cover for them and say they are not feeling well. You must remember I was a captain and sometimes I had to cover for the guys. 

"If you come to training and you are not in a good state, I will come to you or call the whole team and say this guy is messed up today. Let’s cover for him, let him go home or go to the physio room to sleep there. 

"I used to tell the guys not to come to training drunk, rather make an excuse, because some coaches don’t take it and they will chase you away."