Most players would pull the wool over people's eyes and give a diplomatic narrative that they are in football for the love of the game, but Sekhukhune United captain Linda Mntambo is candid on his financial motivation for playing the game.
Sekhukhune take on Cape Town City in the MTN8 quarter-final on Saturday afternoon where semi-final qualification is up for grabs.
Title sponsor, MTN8 bumped up the prizemoney from R8 million to R10 million, while the runners-up and all other participants will pocket R1 million.
Babina Noko’s captain, Mntambo has revealed that he is more excited and motivated by the prospect of going all the way and help his team get their hands on the trophy and most importantly – the money.
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“We are here because of the money. The talent is there and we are doing what we love and what makes us wake up every morning is that we need to put food on the table,” said Mntambo.
“With the MTN8, three four games gives us an opportunity to win R10 million, which means incentives will come away should we win the tournament. Yes, it is an extra motivation… bonuses and stuff like that are a motivation.
“At the end of the day, we’ve got contracts to honour and we need to perform irrespective of the price money that is at stake and we still need to play for the badge.
“We play for the badge before the incentives but you can’t run away from knowing that if you win, there are incentives that you might receive,” Mntambo added.
Mntambo had an impressive 2023/24 campaign where he netted five goals in 13 league appearances, and he promises to be a key player for Babina Noko this season. Mntambo also revealed that he and his teammates are under no pressure to deliver silverware at the club.
“When I joined Sekhukhune back in 2022, the mandate from the chairman has always been for us to improve from the previous game. There has never been pressure to say we need to win trophies, but as footballers, we would love to win silverware.
“If you look at our past seasons, we have been on a high and it always gets tougher. Last season we ended up fourth on the log, so that tells you where we need to improve. We are ready to face Cape Town City and we are hoping to get a good result,” said Mntambo.
Babina Noko will host The Citizens at the Peter Mokaba Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Kick-off is at 15:00.
