Johannesburg — Musa Nyatama cut a sombre figure in the auditorium of Dobsonville Stadium after guiding Swallows to a top eight finish on Saturday, revealing one of the sacrifices he made to show his commitment to the club.
After beating the now-relegated Marumo Gallants 2-0 on the last day of the season at home on Saturday, the Birds soared to eighth in the league.
This was a complete turnaround for a club that was flirting with relegation before they were resurrected by player-coach Nyatama in the last eight games.
Nyatama took over the reins as Swallows’ interim coach in two separate spells this season, but the last one was daunting as the club found itself languishing in the relegation zone.
Thanks to Nyatama and the newly appointed technical advisor Morgan Mammila, the Birds bagged a whopping 19 points from a possible 24 to, not only, save their status but finish in the top half of the table as well. But that incredible run came with a huge sacrifice for the 35-year-old Nyatama, who abandoned an important day in his life to show his commitment to the club.
“I would like to dedicate this top eight finish to my father Samuel Nkomo. He was 79 years old and been sickly for some time," Nyatama sombrely said.
"I lost him when we were playing against AmaZulu and I couldn’t even go and bury him.
“That shows the level of commitment on my side. It was a very difficult time for me, but I had to push myself, stay strong and positive. But now, it’s the right time to grieve, knowing the team is safe.”
And while Nyatama will be using the off-season to mourn his father, the Swallows management will have a tough ask on their hands deciding his future.
“It will depend on the management. I don’t hold that power if they want to keep me but now, let us celebrate this win and go and rest a little bit,” Nyatama said on his future.
Whatever decision Swallows bosses make, the CAF C license holder will always be grateful for the opportunity that was offered him.
“I will forever be grateful for the opportunity that I got from Swallows. In as much as I was thrown in the deep end, but they could see that I have potential,” he said.
“I’ve learned a lot about myself as well as how to manage these guys. They’ve been magnificent throughout the season. Even when the results were not coming, they kept going.”
While Nyatama has been the focal point for Swallows’ impressive end to the season, he doesn’t want the credit.
“Credit must go to the players. In as much as we’ve been pushing them, but they were able to listen and learn.
“That’s what they needed as footballers: to learn a little bit,” Nyatama said.
“We know that we didn’t start well, but this was a good performance from them. But for the past five or six games, they’ve performed well as well.”
IOL Sport