Papi up for challenge

Papi Zothwane spent a fruitful six years at Golden Arrows, a club which catapulted him to the spotlight and where, until a few seasons ago, he was regarded as a talisman.

He could well have stayed there for the rest of his career because he was surely one of the better paid players in Arrows' ranks, and had been one of the few players to catch the eye of the national selectors while plying his trade at a so-called small team.

In fact, Zothwane wanted to remain at Arrows, not least after the heartache triggered by his botched move to Kaizer Chiefs three seasons ago, when a Premier Soccer League dispute resolution chamber ruled he could not sign with Amakhosi, sending him back to Lamontville.

But all that changed when his brother, Nhlanhla, also a promising midfielder, signed with Arrows.

'Suddenly, I had to compete for a place with my brother in the same team. I thought I needed bigger challenges than that ... I knew it was time to move on.'

Zothwane, after spending the past season nursing an injury and watching his brother overtake him, put in a transfer request to club owner Mato Madlala a few weeks ago. 'I asked her to release me because I had outgrown Arrows. And with my brother coming into the team, I had to go home to stay with our grandmother in the Vaal. It wouldn't have been good for both of us to stay in Durban.'

Thankfully for Zothwane, Madlala - the Arrows club owner who had previously steadfastly refused to sell one of her prized assets - finally relented when Mamelodi Sundowns came knocking this week.

'She understood my position and she knew I had given my all to the club for six years.'

Zothwane is now focused of making an impact at Sundowns, a club which can make or break a player. Last season Sundowns went on a signing spree that brought in 15 new players. Half of them have left, while only Siboniso Gaxa can be said to have made real impact.

Zothwane also faces competition from such household names as Benedict Vilakazi, Esrom Nyandoro and Derrick Spencer in the centre of midfield, but, he says, he's prepared for all that.

'There are good players here and I was aware of that when I signed. The competition will be healthy and I'm up to it. Remember, I have faced even tougher competition for a starting place at the national team, and I was able to get picked ahead of others. The great midfielders here will help push me to my peak,' Zothwane said.

The midfielder gets a chance to show he still has the skills and thrills when Sundowns take on Platinum Stars in the Telkom Charity Cup in Rustenburg on Saturday.