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There is a story often told by Christian Gospel preachers that holds a good lesson for life in general.
According to the story, which happened a long time ago, God had a chorus of angels who worshipped him 24/7, moving around and bowing at his throne.
One of the angels, who was called Lucifer, had such a sweet voice that he became the lead worshipper.
I guess this is where the saying voice of an angel comes from.
Anyway, Lucifer became very arrogant and soon regarded himself as being better than God. He was chased out of heaven and into hell, where he now reigns under the name Satan.
I’ve heard some political thinkers complain that such stories are unfair to Satan as they are peddled by the opposition. They argue that Satan has no say in what is said about him.
You might wonder where I am going with this sermon.
Whether you believe the story recounted above or not, there are lessons to be learnt.
The first lesson is that there must always be one bull in a kraal.
The second is that individuals usually come up short when they take on an establishment.
So it is that South Africa and Kaizer Chiefs number one goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune is back at Naturena. This, after he and his erstwhile team-mates, Tefu Mashamaite and Mandla Masango, sniffed at the “peanuts” that Amakhosi had offered them.
And they did this before securing another club contract. Talk about shooting yourself in the foot.
A Twitter user summed it up perfectly, describing the trio’s actions as that of a man who divorces his wife in the hope of getting married to US superstar Beyoncé.
I guess now that Khune has been forced to go back cap in hand – and we are told that Masango is also on a mission to re-enact his own version of the proverbial prodigal son – the lesson to other players is: do not think too much of yourself.
I have long thought that Khune has displayed an overblown sense of self-importance.
It became obvious to me that the boy was really getting out of hand and had become a real prima donna, when I saw his utterances on social-media platforms.
Now, Khune has had his wings clipped.
Big clubs the world over have produced stars who at some stage thought they were bigger than the club.
What do these clubs do?
They spit them out like chewing gum and continue to achieve great things.
A few lucky players reach greater heights at their new destinations while for others it proves to be a dead end move.
Thankfully, Khune is still young and I hope his recent experience results in some humility so he can change his ways and achieve even greater things – something he is quite capable of doing as he undoubtedly has the talent.
Players should certainly stand up for their rights – but they should not hold clubs to ransom.
They must learn that money is not everything.
It also makes good business sense for a player to have an agent or business manager who can focus on the financial matters, while the player concentrates on playing the game.
That said, players need to ensure that they are not short-changed and weigh up advice before making decisions.
Just as in the story of God and Satan, Khune has transitioned from being “the mouth” to being the “no comment” guy. Meanwhile, Chiefs are calling the shots and making statements far and wide.
Khune’s recent experience holds a good lesson for all of us.
Follow me on Twitter @SBu_Mseleku
