“SuperSport United FC is pleased to announce the signature of winger Vincent Pule on a one-year deal with an option to renew. He’s a Spartan. Welcome home”, Vincent reads the club statement.
A day before Pule’s unveiling, SuperSport also secured the services of Mamelodi Sundowns duo Nyiko Mobbie on a permanent deal and Ricardo Goss on loan ahead of the 2024/25 season.
The club is also assessing versatile midfielder Keanin Ayer, who recently left Danish 1st Division side Næstved Boldklub.
In addition, a few days ago, the Tshwane side also signed highly-rated centre-back Pogiso Sanoka and announced that Thulani Hlatshwayo, Gamphani Lungu, Gape Moralo, Bilal Baloyi, and Gamphani Lungu have all penned contract extensions.
Experienced winger Vincent Pule is back under the tutelage of coach Gavin Hunt after signing with SuperSport United following his departure from Orlando Pirates.
Fuelled by his desire to play on a more regular basis, Pule reached a mutual agreement to leave Pirates despite having one year remaining on his contract with the club.
The former Bafana Bafana international wasted no time finding a new home as he went to Matsatsantsa last week to complete a medical, as reported by SABC Sport.
This action paved the way for a reunion with his former coach, Hunt, who knows Pule well from their time together at Bidvest Wits. Hunt has already extended a warm welcome to Pule on X [Twitter], with a picture of their time together at Wits captioned “Welcome back.”
SuperSport announced that Pule signed a one-year contract with the option to extend his stay.
The 32-year-old travelled with SuperSport to Botswana for their pre-season and has already featured for his new club in a friendly clash against DF XI on Friday.
“Bra Stan was not given a fair deal by us South Africans, even the media because they thought he was not good enough to coach the national team,” he said. “But he was nurturing the family.
“Eight to nine players that played in the 1996 AFRCON were nurtured by ‘Screamer’ Tshabalala, 12 of the players that were in that squad managed to play overseas, we worked as a family.”
Meanwhile, a lighter mood emerged when Bobby Motaung of Chiefs and Edward ‘Magents’ Motale shared humorous anecdotes and stories about ‘Bra Stan’, eliciting laughter from the crowd.
And in a heartfelt moment, former Bafana coach and childhood friend Shakes Mashaba shared a story about how Tshabalala earned his famous nickname ‘Screamer’. “He couldn’t dribble,” said Mashaba. “But what he did was always position himself in a space where there are not a lot of people, and when he gets the pass, you see him put his hands behind the head, and he jumps, and he screams.”
On the other hand, Trott Moloto, a close friend of Tshabalala and current director at Sundowns, highlighted Tshabalala’s significant contributions in laying the groundwork for the Tshwane giants’ current successes.
In addition, Sports Minister McKenzie expressed his deep admiration for the former coach’s impact on SA football. “I did not know ‘Screamer’, but I was touched by his work, and I can testify today that his life was a life well lived,” said McKenzie.
