Chương 4: Those Three

The days after the match were nothing but partying. For days the entire team partied back home in Johannesburg, with fans paying for their drinks, the streets filled with red and yellow. Singing chants and drinking the nights away. This amazed Andile, who was only eighteen, a non-smoker and non-drinker who saw all this clearly, hundreds of people celebrating along with the players and coaches. He was confused why, Supa Strikas had not won a trophy or had not been promoted. They had just barely survived relegation. He wondered why the fans were so loyal, 10 years had gone without Supa Strikas winning a trophy, 15 without a major one so why did Supa Strikas still have fans? These questions all flooded his mind as he finally went to bed for the first time in days, he laid there, on his back looking at his ceiling, having these thoughts as he tried to process what he had done, why was everyone chanting his name? Andile closed his eyes and went to sleep.

Andile woke up the next day to the smell of sizzling bacon and eggs as he slowly walked down the stairs to find his father, Skarra in an apron cooking on the stove, wearing headphones and dancing to music whilst his 9-year-old brother Jack recorded on his phone whilst laughing his head off. Andile just sat down and yawned, looking unimpressed at the least.

"What is your 45-year-old father doing again?" Andile asked Jack.

"I don't know, I just find it funny." Jack said, laughing as Skarra dished up for them, before also seating down to eat.

"Enjoyed yourself last night huh?" Skarra said to Andile as they both stuffed their faces with food.

"Way more than I expected, Joburg night life is just crazy. I ain't doing all that stuff anytime soon." Andile said as they both laughed.

"So, what are you doing today? I heard the club will be going to China for a pre-season tour in a week or so."

"Today, me and Jomo are going to headquarters to discuss something, all I know is that they told me to make sure my passport is up to date and to bring my agent. But there were hints of selling me a few weeks ago so that could be it." Andile said, still eating.

"So, you made your friend your agent, instead of your own father who knows the football wold more than four-eyes." Skarra said, in a stern tone.

"I mean Jomo has handled most of my finances and contracts since I was 15. You are too busy with the sportswear brand and Jack so It's better to not stress you more. Plus, if I made you my agent, you probably would bully the board into paying me a million per game." Andile said, rambling on.

"I'm just joking, Jomo is smarter than he looks, wayy smarter. Listen, me and Jack will visit your mother today, so do also try to see her if you get an early finish. And please do the dishes before you leave." Skarra said, as he stood up, walking away.

"Oi, Jack-Jack. Here's 50 bucks, do the dishes for me." Andile said, handing Jack a 50 rand note.

"Make it a hundred, inflation is high these days." Jack said, swiping the note from Andile's hand.

"Fine." Andile stood up frustrated as he took another 50 rand note and gave it to Jack.

A Few hours later.

Supa Strikas HQ

Jomo and Andile pull up in the parking lot of the building. As they both walk out, Jomo wearing a simple back suit and tie and a briefcase in his hands, whilst Andile is wearing an oversized t-shirt and jeans, with green sneakers. The both walk into the building and get on the elevator, pressing the 3rd button.

"You couldn't wear anything better? Like a suit or something respectable." Jomo said, looking at Andile.

"I've still got training later, so it would be a drag to wear a suit." Andile said as they got out of the elevator and went to sit in the waiting room.

Inside the Boardroom.

Spenza is sitting in the room, with a cold atmosphere surrounding the room as the board of directors carefully went through a bunch of documents, he had handed them. Each document had a picture a super strikas player on it. Soon the board was done and turned to Spenza.

"So, you want as many as ten players gone, we can't afford that. Our first match in China starts in a weeks' time, how do you expect us to replace those players that fast." The chairman, Bojack said.

"I don't think you should let go of all of them, but if I must field a team with those ten on the same field it is the same as if I don't have a team at all." Spenza said.

"We just cannot afford to lose most of them, and you included Orlando. He was our best player this season." Bojack continued to protest the decision.

"If you look at the list, I have listed the players in order of importance. Orlando is number 1 on that list, meaning that he is the player I consider priority to remove from the team. My reason for him is simple, we are over reliant on him, a burden perse. He is a super league quality player in my opinion, however because we signed him on a big money contract with a lot of years on it makes it hard for teams to sign him. However, this makes the whole club under him, we are now the Orlando club, and in order to succeed we need to shed that weight of his back. If you look at our stats, our longest winning run was the four matches where he was injured, he might score goals, but he wasn't built to carry a team. A team has to be built around him not for him." Spenza said, attempting to convince the board.

"Moving on, your signing of Zuko Skhosana is bound to go through, so why have you recommended we also sign Mateo Garcia on loan, with Andile expected to stay how are these three going to play together, they play similar positions. And their personalities are so different, I don't think they would stand being in the same room." Another board member said, noticing the tension.

"I believe those three are more than enough to fill the void left by Orlando when he leaves. I submitted a request to promote three other under-23 players along with Andile, 22-year-old Left back Ryan Davids, 21-year-old goalkeeper Arthur Svensson and 17-year-old academy player Bradley Adams. I am going to be taking them on the China tour." Spenza said.

"We have contacted them and informed them of the news. However, Arthur is still on loan in Sweden so he will join you later than the other two. You also asked to sign a defender from the Western Europe league, a Samuel Goliath from England, he is not even in the main continental league, surely he is not the quality we want." Bojack said, looking at a picture of the player.

"On the contrary, chairman, Samuel Goliath is the best centre back in the world" Spenza said, as a knock on the door disturbed them.

Outside, in the waiting room

A few minutes earlier

Both Andile and Zuko were in the waiting room, scrolling on their phones in the empty room, showing each other memes and chats with girls as they both laughed. Klaus enters the room whilst talking on the phone, along with a tall Mateo who has tied his hair into a bun to show his well chiselled face, he is wearing a grey jacket and long purple training pants, and is carrying a gym bag with him. Andile looks up at Mateo who just looks at Andile like pile of trash and goes on to sit on the opposite side of the room. After them North Shaw walks in with Zuko following him into the room, as Andile, Mateo and Zuko all stare at intensity with each other. Zuko has long dreadlocks tied into a bun and cut on the sides, with a white vest showing his well-built body, with blue jeans and a grey hoodie tied on his waist.

"Seems like we got ourselves a pair of wimps in this establishment." Zuko said, referring to Andile and Mateo who immediately stood up and faced Zuko.

"A lowly Jamaican failure dares to even face me." Mateo said, standing in front of a shorter Zuko.

"What did you call me? Reject?" Andile said, also standing up and looking at the two people who were significantly taller than him.

"I said, you are a pair of wimps, I did not mince my words now did I?" Zuko replied as all three began to push each other before North Shaw, Klaus and Jomo tried to break the three up.

"I'll mess you up, man just try me." Andile said as Jomo pulled him away.

"You small boys are not in my league, go back to Jamaica and swim with the small fishes' boy, the big ones don't play." Mateo said as North Shaw held him back.

"If you two wimps wanna go, come on, I'll beat you the same way I did in Brazil, you two ain't in my league." Zuko said, laughing as Klaus pulled him back.

"BOYS!! Behave!" Spenza shouted as he walked out of the boardroom followed by the board of directors. The three immediately stopped and looked at Spenza.

"Now do tell me, Coach. How do you plan to control these three egos on the same field? Fix this." Bojack said as he and the board walked to the elevator.

"Klaus, Shaw, good seeing you two again. Fancy seeing you here Jomo. You three seem to be still holding grudges about that night in Brazil huh, follow me." Spenza said, walking into the boardroom as everyone followed him.