Doctor Khumalo Recalls Playing At La Bombanera!
His team was playing against Boca Juniors in the Argentine league. This was when he had a stint in South America in 1995.
Doctor Khumalo Recalls Playing At La Bombanera! He played in front of Diego Maradona as he was a special guest at the game.
Doctor Khumalo was playing for Argentine Side Ferro Carril Oeste at the time. His time in South America was cut short because of financial increments.
Khumalo was shocked at the level of respect that Maradona commanded in not only the football fraternity, but the country in its entirety.
“I remember the game we played against Boca Juniors on a Sunday‚ and we were warming up and I was wondering what all the hullaballoo was about‚” Khumalo told TimesLIVE.
“Because the stadium gets full at about 11am. And‚ you must understand‚ that man is seen as a godfather of football‚ because football in Argentina is a sort of religion.
“In Argentina even the smaller teams get crowds. But when we played Boca‚ that was when I felt‚ ‘I am in Argentina’.
“I think there was five‚ 10 minutes left of the warm-up and I heard the crowd chanting‚ ‘Ma-ra-donna’. And I thought‚ ‘But this guy’s not playing’.
“Only to find that at the Boca Juniors’ stadium he’s got his own private suite. So, he just walked in with his family.
“And when I looked up, I saw Caniggia‚ Maradona‚ the likes of Batistuta‚ and I was like‚ ‘Wow’.
“And then what he does is he walks up to the front of his private suite‚ where there’s like a glass‚ and he’ll bow east‚ bow south‚ and bow west.
“And when he bows the crowd [in that stand] acknowledge him by raising their hands and say something in Spanish – and the stand at the other side does the same.
“So, it’s sort of a synchronised way of greeting.
“Those guys – not only Maradona‚ though‚ yes‚ of course he might be the cherry on top – but when it comes to celebrating ex-players it is amazing. Because Diego Simeone‚ when he walked in‚ you should have seen the crowd.
“So, I was trying to figure out if Maradona is the one who invites those guys to his private suite.
“But I must say that guy is something else‚ not just in Argentina but the whole of South America.”
Khumalo recalls the game including his team and his own performance.
“Look‚ we lost 2-1 to Boca. I played the whole 90 minutes. It was a tough team to play against‚ obviously‚ with the 12th player.
“But fortunately, enough I earned my stripes because the entire Argentina knew me from when I scored against them in the Mandela Challenge at Ellis Park‚ in the 1-1 draw.
“… That’s the reason why I was given jersey No.10.”
Khumalo returned to La Bombanera in May 1998‚ but did not play‚ when Philippe Troussier’s Bafana lost 2-0 to Argentina there in a France ’98 World Cup preparation friendly.
“Supporters of Oeste came to the hotel. They still remembered who I was‚ a few years later‚ and took me and a few teammates – Benni McCarthy‚ David Nyathi‚ Shoes Moshoeu – to lunch.
“I scored a goal on debut for Oeste [against Independiente] – the video that’s making the rounds on YouTube – from a very awkward angle.”
Doctor Khumalo Recalls Playing At La Bombanera!
