Jomo Sono
Encyclopedia
Ephraim Matsilela Sono (17 July 1955 – ) is a South Africa
n soccer
club owner and coach and was also a star soccer player.
, near Johannesburg
. When he was eight years old his father Eric "Scara" Bhamuza Sono
, who was a midfielder
for the Orlando Pirates
football team in the early 1960s, died as a result of a car crash. Soon after, his mother abandoned him. Consequently, Sono was left in the care of his ailing grandparents; as they were very poor, he had to resort to selling apples and peanuts at soccer games and train stations in order to clothe himself, buy food for his grandparents and pay school fees.
Sono’s soccer career had an unusual beginning; during a match that he attended one of the Orlando Pirates’ regular players was absent and Sono was requested to stand in for him. He soon gained fame for his all-round ability, dribbling and accurate passing skills. It was during this time that he was given the nickname of Jomo (which means "burning spear") by an Orlando Pirates fan, who saw in him the same leadership qualities as those of Jomo Kenyatta
, the then president of Kenya
.
After he had accomplished everything that he set out to do at Orlando Pirates, Sono went to the United States of America, where, in 1977, he played for the New York Cosmos
, where one of his team-mates was the legendary player Pelé
. In 1978, he moved to the Colorado Caribous
. At the end of the season, the Caribous moved to become the Atlanta Chiefs
where Sono played with another South African soccer star of the time, Kaizer Motaung
. Sono completed his stint in North America playing for the Toronto Blizzard
, playing three summers, 1980 through 1982.
Sono also taught and gave demonstrations at Clemson University Soccer Camp for youths.
Under his ownership, the club went on to achieve several successes: it won the National Soccer League
in 1987, the Bobsave Super Bowl in 1990, the Cola Cola Cup in 2002 and the Super Eight
in 2003. Jomo Cosmos has also consistently finished among the top teams in the South African Premier Soccer League.
Sono has also taken a leading role in discovering and developing new football talent, especially from rural areas. Some of the players whom Sono recruited and then went on to play for the South African national team
and European clubs include Philemon Masinga
, Helman Mkhalele
, Sizwe Motaung
and Mark Fish
. Indeed, his recruits formed the core of the South African squad that won the 1996 African Nations Cup; Sono was also a technical advisor to the team’s head coach Clive Barker
during the tournament.
In 1998, Sono was appointed as caretaker coach of the Bafana Bafana just before the African Nations Cup tournament in Burkina Faso
in the place of Clive Barker, who had been sacked just before the event. Under Sono, the team reached the final of the tournament, where they lost to Egypt. Taking the short time that he had to prepare with the team into account, it was considered a remarkable feat.
After a disappointing performance by the South African national squad during the 2002 African Nations Cup in Mali
, Sono was again appointed a technical director to the team. However, the head coach of the team at that time, Carlos Queiróz
, felt that his position was being undermined by this appointment and resigned. Sono was again appointed as caretaker coach, this time for the 2002 FIFA World Cup
in South Korea
and Japan
.
During the World Cup, the South African squad did not progress beyond the first round; however, they did score five goals and achieved one win, one draw and a 3–2 loss against pre-tournament favourites Spain
. The South African captain, Lucas Radebe
, credited Sono with much of the team’s performance, saying that he had instilled a good spirit within the team and that he had ensured a very positive atmosphere among the squad.
Sono is the longest-serving coach in the South African Premier League and also sits on the board of the Premier Soccer League. He has also built up a reputation as a successful businessman; in addition to making a substantial profit by developing players and selling them to European teams, he also owns a number of businesses and is a chairman of numerous companies. On 22 October 2009 it was announced that he had returned to the South African Football Association
, and one day later on 23 October 2009 he took the job as Technical Director.
in 2004.
member Bamuza Sono, his second son Matsilela Junior (*22. June 1992) plays in the reserve of Jomo Cosmos
.
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
n soccer
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
club owner and coach and was also a star soccer player.
Early life and soccer player
Sono was born in the township of Orlando East in SowetoSoweto
Soweto is a lower-class-populated urban area of the city of Johannesburg in Gauteng, South Africa, bordering the city's mining belt in the south. Its name is an English syllabic abbreviation for South Western Townships...
, near Johannesburg
Johannesburg
Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
. When he was eight years old his father Eric "Scara" Bhamuza Sono
Eric Bhamuza Sono
Eric Bhamuza "Scara" Sono was a South African soccer player who ignored the apartheid laws prohibiting people of different races from competing with one another. He captained the Orlando Pirates and was the father of Jomo Sono. He died in a car crash at age 27, when Jomo was age 8.-References:...
, who was a midfielder
Midfielder
A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role...
for the Orlando Pirates
Orlando Pirates Football Club
Orlando Pirates are a South African football club based in Parktown, Johannesburg that plays in the Premier Soccer League.The club was founded in 1937 and was originally based in Orlando, Soweto. They are named 'Pirates' after the 1940 film The Sea Hawk starring Errol Flynn...
football team in the early 1960s, died as a result of a car crash. Soon after, his mother abandoned him. Consequently, Sono was left in the care of his ailing grandparents; as they were very poor, he had to resort to selling apples and peanuts at soccer games and train stations in order to clothe himself, buy food for his grandparents and pay school fees.
Sono’s soccer career had an unusual beginning; during a match that he attended one of the Orlando Pirates’ regular players was absent and Sono was requested to stand in for him. He soon gained fame for his all-round ability, dribbling and accurate passing skills. It was during this time that he was given the nickname of Jomo (which means "burning spear") by an Orlando Pirates fan, who saw in him the same leadership qualities as those of Jomo Kenyatta
Jomo Kenyatta
Jomo Kenyattapron.] served as the first Prime Minister and President of Kenya. He is considered the founding father of the Kenyan nation....
, the then president of Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
.
After he had accomplished everything that he set out to do at Orlando Pirates, Sono went to the United States of America, where, in 1977, he played for the New York Cosmos
New York Cosmos
The New York Cosmos were an American soccer club based in New York City, New York and its suburbs. The team played home games in three stadiums around New York before moving in 1977 to Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey, where it remained for the rest of its history...
, where one of his team-mates was the legendary player Pelé
Pelé
However, Pelé has always maintained that those are mistakes, that he was actually named Edson and that he was born on 23 October 1940.), best known by his nickname Pelé , is a retired Brazilian footballer. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest football players of all time...
. In 1978, he moved to the Colorado Caribous
Colorado Caribous
The Colorado Caribous was a professional soccer team based in Denver, Colorado, that played in the North American Soccer League...
. At the end of the season, the Caribous moved to become the Atlanta Chiefs
Atlanta Chiefs
The Atlanta Chiefs were a soccer team based in Atlanta, Georgia that played in the NPSL and NASL from 1967 to 1972. Their home fields were Atlanta Stadium and Tara Stadium . The club was the brainchild of Dick Cecil, then Vice President of the Atlanta Braves baseball franchise who were the Chiefs'...
where Sono played with another South African soccer star of the time, Kaizer Motaung
Kaizer Motaung
Kaizer Motaung is a former South African soccer player and founder of the Kaizer Chiefs Football Club, of which he is still chairman and managing director...
. Sono completed his stint in North America playing for the Toronto Blizzard
Toronto Blizzard (NASL)
The Toronto Blizzard were a professional soccer club based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada that played in the North American Soccer League.-History:The Toronto Metros joined the NASL in 1971. Their home field was Varsity Stadium....
, playing three summers, 1980 through 1982.
Sono also taught and gave demonstrations at Clemson University Soccer Camp for youths.
Club owner and coach
After his soccer career in the USA ended, Sono returned to South Africa, where he purchased the Highlands Park club in Johannesburg in 1982, renaming it Jomo Cosmos in honour of his old team.Under his ownership, the club went on to achieve several successes: it won the National Soccer League
National Soccer League (South Africa)
The National Soccer League was a South African association football league established in 1985, as a response to boardroom disagreements in the new topflight non-racial league NPSL...
in 1987, the Bobsave Super Bowl in 1990, the Cola Cola Cup in 2002 and the Super Eight
Super Eight
For information on the second round of the Cricket World Cup, see Super 8 .For the film format, see Super 8 mm film.The Super Eight is the name of the Massachusetts hockey tournament that determines the state champion. The tournament is technically called the Division IA tournament. Both public and...
in 2003. Jomo Cosmos has also consistently finished among the top teams in the South African Premier Soccer League.
Sono has also taken a leading role in discovering and developing new football talent, especially from rural areas. Some of the players whom Sono recruited and then went on to play for the South African national team
South Africa national football team
The South Africa national football team represents South Africa in association football and is controlled by the South African Football Association, the governing body for football in South Africa. South Africa's home ground is Soccer City, known as FNB Stadium due to a naming rights deal, in...
and European clubs include Philemon Masinga
Philemon Masinga
Philemon "Phil" Raoul Masinga is a South African former international footballer. He represented South Africa in 58 international games, scoring 18 goals....
, Helman Mkhalele
Helman Mkhalele
Helman Mkhalele is a former South African football player. He was the part of the Orlando Pirates squad that won the 1995 African Championship.- International :...
, Sizwe Motaung
Sizwe Motaung
Sizwe Motaung was a South African football player who played for Jomo Cosmos, Mamelodi Sundowns, St. Gallen, CD Tenerife, Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates, as well at international level for the national side....
and Mark Fish
Mark Fish
Mark Anthony Fish is a retired South African footballer.-Club career:Fish started his career in his native South Africa under the guidance of renowned coach Steve Coetsee, playing for Arcadia Shepherds, an amateur team based at the Caledonian Stadium in Pretoria...
. Indeed, his recruits formed the core of the South African squad that won the 1996 African Nations Cup; Sono was also a technical advisor to the team’s head coach Clive Barker
Clive Barker (soccer)
Clive William Barker is a South African football coach. He guided the South African national team to their only African Nations Cup title in 1996.-Player:...
during the tournament.
In 1998, Sono was appointed as caretaker coach of the Bafana Bafana just before the African Nations Cup tournament in Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso – also known by its short-form name Burkina – is a landlocked country in west Africa. It is surrounded by six countries: Mali to the north, Niger to the east, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to the south, and Côte d'Ivoire to the southwest.Its size is with an estimated...
in the place of Clive Barker, who had been sacked just before the event. Under Sono, the team reached the final of the tournament, where they lost to Egypt. Taking the short time that he had to prepare with the team into account, it was considered a remarkable feat.
After a disappointing performance by the South African national squad during the 2002 African Nations Cup in Mali
Mali
Mali , officially the Republic of Mali , is a landlocked country in Western Africa. Mali borders Algeria on the north, Niger on the east, Burkina Faso and the Côte d'Ivoire on the south, Guinea on the south-west, and Senegal and Mauritania on the west. Its size is just over 1,240,000 km² with...
, Sono was again appointed a technical director to the team. However, the head coach of the team at that time, Carlos Queiróz
Carlos Queiroz
Carlos Manuel Brito Leal Queiroz ComIH is a Portuguese football manager. He is currently the manager of the Iran national football team. A former manager of Real Madrid, and Portugal national football team, he has also twice been Alex Ferguson's assistant manager at English club Manchester...
, felt that his position was being undermined by this appointment and resigned. Sono was again appointed as caretaker coach, this time for the 2002 FIFA World Cup
2002 FIFA World Cup
The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0...
in South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
and Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
.
During the World Cup, the South African squad did not progress beyond the first round; however, they did score five goals and achieved one win, one draw and a 3–2 loss against pre-tournament favourites Spain
Spain national football team
The Spain national football team represents Spain in international association football and is controlled by the Royal Spanish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Spain. The current head coach is Vicente del Bosque...
. The South African captain, Lucas Radebe
Lucas Radebe
Lucas Valeriu Radebe is a former Leeds United and South African football player. During his career, Radebe was renowned for being a world-class centre back and a great ambassador for the sport....
, credited Sono with much of the team’s performance, saying that he had instilled a good spirit within the team and that he had ensured a very positive atmosphere among the squad.
Sono is the longest-serving coach in the South African Premier League and also sits on the board of the Premier Soccer League. He has also built up a reputation as a successful businessman; in addition to making a substantial profit by developing players and selling them to European teams, he also owns a number of businesses and is a chairman of numerous companies. On 22 October 2009 it was announced that he had returned to the South African Football Association
South African Football Association
The South African Football Association or SAFA is the governing body of football in South Africa.-History:The South African Football Association was founded on 8 December, 1991, the culmination of a long unity process that was to rid the sport in South Africa of all its past racial division.Four...
, and one day later on 23 October 2009 he took the job as Technical Director.
Honours
Sono was voted 49th in the Top 100 Great South AfricansSABC3's Great South Africans
Great South Africans was a South African television series that aired on SABC3 and hosted by Noeleen Maholwana Sangqu and Denis Beckett. In September 2004, thousands of South Africans took part in an informal nationwide poll to determine the "100 Greatest South Africans" of all time...
in 2004.
Personal
He is married and has four children, includes the South Africa national football teamSouth Africa national football team
The South Africa national football team represents South Africa in association football and is controlled by the South African Football Association, the governing body for football in South Africa. South Africa's home ground is Soccer City, known as FNB Stadium due to a naming rights deal, in...
member Bamuza Sono, his second son Matsilela Junior (*22. June 1992) plays in the reserve of Jomo Cosmos
Jomo Cosmos
Jomo Cosmos is a South African football club based in Johannesburg that plays in the Premier Soccer League. The club is owned and coached by South African soccer legend Jomo "Black Prince" Sono....
.