Zain Pandey (pictured), successful coach of Blue Bells’ First Division team, described his maiden success as coach at the Cape District Football Association (CDFA) as a “bittersweet victory.”
Against all odds – with a whole army of naysayers bickering in his ears – Pandiani (as he is known) won the League and Grand Challenge double for Bells after even his own club at first doubted his abilities.
After being sidelined at the beginning of the season, Blue Bells approached Pandey when the first-choice coach pulled out after about three or four matches into the season.
What made his victorious year even more outstanding, was the fact that Pandey never really had a regular group of players at his disposal. Through hard work and dedication, ‘Pandiani’ spent hours rebuilding his team, and recruited players who had previously left the club.
Headstrong and with a will of his own and with a ‘Success Plan’ in mind, ‘Pandiani’ soldiered on, ignoring the snide remarks, even from within his own organisation, to build a unit that could challenge for the title.
“This one is for all the haters and those who wanted me to fail as well as others wat blik geslaan het,” an elated Pandey told No Bones with Jones.
“To those who did not believe in me, I say: THANK YOU. But most of all, I have to thank the players, they were the driving force that made my job easier. They were the ones that believed.”
Pandey explains that the bitterness he feels, comes with the fact that his main rivals, Santos, had points deducted and “their players did not deserve to lose out in this way.”
“I really do feel for their players as they battled the whole season long, and for this to happen to them is very cruel and unfair to lose out on success in this manner. Actually, I would even go as far as saying that their owner Goolam Allie robbed them of their well-deserved success.
“They were the better team this season and the fact that they beat us convincingly tells the tale. That said, unfortunately for them, their loss is our gain” he further added.
Our website is informed that Allie failed to pay the club’s subs for the season, which resulted in the People’s Team being penalized and stripped of their title.
“Was it really necessary to punish your players and the club for a couple of grand?” Pandey asked rhetorically.
Success for Pandiani and his team does not mean that all will be sunshine and roses come the new season. There are still those, some even dressed in blue, yellow and white, who are not convinced that he deserves the praise and accolades thrown his way after conquering the First Division at the Local Football Association (LFA) in Wynberg.
But one thing for sure: Pandey has the trophies and medals to back up his claim of: ‘Been there, done that!’
