Soccer star building a good foundation for boys

SEKHUKHUNE United FC player Linda Mntambo talks about the power of mentoring young boys.

The 35-year-old midfielder started his foundation, the Linda Mntambo Foundation, to help boys get into football and save them from many troubles.

Linda said it was because he almost ruined his life growing up due to the wrong role models.

“Many wouldn’t know why I love going to the gym and looking good. When I was at school, the popular guys were the ones who beat people up. Ekasi, the grootmans were the ones beating people up as well. So, I thought that was the way to go. I went to the gym to be strong so I could beat people up as well,” he said.

In 2020, he saw the need to mentor young boys.

“During the peak of Covid-19, I started a foundation where we give young players a platform to showcase their talents. Football is what I do best, and through that, I knew I could help mentor young boys. I also realised that I could help change society and build better role models. The foundation started through football, but we focused on something bigger, which was raising awareness on substance abuse and gender-based violence,” he said.

Linda said it was important to use his platform to do something good.

“I listen to radio a lot, and I heard Tbo Touch speak about gifts, which is something we soccer players are given by God. One thing about a gift is that it’s something we need to give to other people.

“I want soccer players to stand for something bigger than football. What are we doing to change society? We shouldn’t just end at giving people money; we need to stand for something bigger than us and bigger than football,” added Linda.