The 36-year-old Nazeer Allie says he still has a few more seasons left in him, writes MOGAMAD ALLIE.
Nazeer Allie’s contract with Maritzburg United may be up at the end of the season, his 17th in the PSL, but the Cape Town-born defender is adamant he still has what it takes to play for at least two more seasons.
‘If I stay injury-free I will continue for as long as I can because I’m still enjoying it. I am only thinking of looking after myself and doing as well as possible on the pitch. I still want to achieve things,’ he told SoccerClub.
Although he has won all the silverware on offer in the top flight – the Telkom Knockout and Nedbank Cup with Ajax Cape Town as well as the league, MTN8 and Telkom Knockout with Bidvest Wits – Allie, who turns 37 in May is hungry for more.
Lifting the league title with Bidvest Wits under Gavin Hunt in 2017 enabled the defender to banish the pain of seeing the title slip agonisingly from the grasp of Ajax Cape Town in the final minutes of the campaign on two previous occasions.
‘Winning the league was always on my agenda because of those seasons when we came so close with Ajax. So even though every trophy I’ve won means a lot to me, the league takes pride of place because it’s the toughest one to claim,’ he says.
In the 2007-08 season, a 2-2 draw against Golden Arrows on the final day saw SuperSport United clinch the title by two points. A win would have given Craig Rosslee’s side the title on goal difference, while a shock 2-2 final day draw against a struggling Maritzburg United at a packed and expectant Cape Town Stadium saw Foppe de Haan’s team finishing second to Orlando Pirates on goal difference at the end of the 2010-11 season.
As for the demise of Ajax, who were relegated in 2018, Allie is saddened the club (now playing as Cape Town Spurs) are still languishing in the National First Division. ‘Ajax will always have a special place in my heart. I will be forever grateful for what they gave me in my formative years.’
When the defender’s three-year contract with Wits expired in June 2018, Maritzburg United jumped at the opportunity to use his vast experience and proven defensive capabilities.
‘Fadlu Davids, who was coach at the time, played a big role in my decision to move to Maritzburg. He called me, we had a long chat and he convinced me to move to the club. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out as I planned because we had a bad spell and he lost his job.’
While Davids moved on, Allie is still a key player in Maritzburg’s defence. ‘At the beginning of the season, I was thinking he could not make it any longer,’ coach Ernst Middendorp said. ‘Now he is proving to us, and me in particular, how important he is.’
Allie missed eight league games between December and February after sustaining a serious injury in the goalless draw against Marumo Gallants at the Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane.
‘In the last five minutes of the game when I sprinted back to my position in defence I accidentally stepped on to one of the pop-up sprinklers on the pitch and injured myself. When I went for a scan a week later it showed that I tore my plantar facia [the ligament that connects the heel to the front of the foot], which ruled me out for two months.
As a highly experienced senior player in the squad, Allie revels in his mentoring role. ‘The coach encourages the senior guys like myself to mentor the younger players in the squad and to advise them. It’s nothing new to me because it’s something I’ve grown up with since my Ajax days.’
As for what is to follow when he eventually retires, Allie is still not sure. ‘I have a passion for coaching but I don’t think I’ll jump into it straight after I retire. I want to be convinced that it’s the right thing to do, that it’s something I want to be committed to and not throw in the towel after one or two months.’
For the remainder of the season, Allie will be focused on ensuring the Team of Choice moves away from the relegation zone before weighing up his options as to where he will start his 18th season in professional football.
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