Manzini On Mbule Move: It’s Difficult In Ir…

Sipho Mbule has left the PSL for football in Iraq. Image: Gallo Images

Former Bloemfontein Celtic striker Lerato Manzini played his football in Iraq before retiring and has advised Sipho Mbule to rebrand himself and be mentally strong after signing for Zakho SC.

Mbule will get an opportunity for a fresh start on foreign land, which could be good for his career, Manzini believes. It will, however, not be easy. Manzini played for Al-Qasim in Iraq in 2023/24 and it was during a tough period when there was war. During the Gaza war in 2023, Iraq was affected and Manzini got to see how difficult life can be when you are thousands of kilometres away from family. 

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He says Mbule has to be strong and not think that life, both on and off the pitch, will be easy.

“I was in Iraq. I know the country and the league. Coming from Orlando pirates and coming from a lot of things that people were saying, I can advise him to prepare his mindset for that platform. It’s not a platform that’s easy. There’s the language, culture and food and all those things are going to play a role because it’s things he needs to adjust to before he can even find himself enjoying his football,” Manzini said to Soccer Laduma.

“It’s not an easy switch. It’s going to be difficult because you need a lot of mental strength there. It’s difficult in Iraq, I don’t want to lie. Sipho is a very talented player and his talent will speak for him that side, but the way he plays, he is going to have to be in the best physical condition. That will allow him to be himself and it will allow him to raise the bar. When he is there, he is close to Saudi Arabia and teams in Iraq sometimes play against teams from Saudi Arabia. As long as he is in good physical condition and in his best mental state, I think he is going to come out tops. One thing I can guarantee is that the people that side decide very quickly about your future. There is a lot of criticism from them, which means he has to be strong.

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Manzini feels Mbule should have been at the FIFA World Cup with Bafana Bafana, but the midfielder’s lack of game time at Pirates in the second half of last season saw him dropping out of the national team.

“From what I was seeing from a far, there were things disturbing him to progress. He was supposed be at the World Cup. He was supposed to be starting every game at the World Cup. Unfortunately, we don’t know what happened behind the scenes. We can only wish the best to him and to say be strong. It’s a chance to rebrand himself and focus on himself, away from the country and away from the pressure. That’s when the new Sipho Mbule will come into play.”

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