Controversy over a legendary jersey number!
Jomo Sono (photo, Soccerzela.com)
Tembinkosi Lorch (affectionately known as SMS for ‘shake my soul’) is now the object of controversy. That’s because Lorch ma end up wearing jersey #10 that was previously worn by legendary Jomo Sono and retired by the team chairman, Dr. Irvin Khoza.
You can read some of the fans’ views on the matter here.
Lorch has played well, to be sure. His earnest efforts were apparent when the Pirates narrowly lost the Premier Soccer League (PSL) title to Sundowns by 3-points. For his efforts, Lorch walked away with Player of the Season accolades.
But just recently, Bafana Bafana’s Stuart Baxter left Lorch on the bench during all his three group matches at the 2019 AFCON. That slight left Bafana fans fuming. So in an attempt to avoid further wrath, Baxter opted to start Lorch in the last 16 against the African footballing powerhouse, host nation Egypt.
Doing the ‘Thumamina’ phrase favor, Lorch went out and got South Africans what they had sent him there to do. His was the decisive goal enabling Bafana to advance to the tournament quarter-finals.
Tembinkosi Lorch (photo, Orlando Pirates)
Lorch’s impressive play is there for all to see. So if he signs a lifetime contract will that be enough for the chairman to take #10 out of retirement? There’s more to it than that, though. If he signs, Lorch has to say no to European teams when they come calling for his signature.
And it’s not as though the debate over #10 is new. In his book, The Curse of Teko Modise, Teko says that he was promised to get #10–if he behaved and performed to his full potential. But the jersey transfer never came to fruition.
So, fans, how will this turn out this time?
