Former Kaizer Chiefs poster boy Jabu Mahlangu has hit back at South African football icon Jomo Sono over his 'elephant and ant' remarks regarding Patrick Maswanganyi donning Orlando Pirates' jersey number 10.
'Bra J' delivered a scathing analysis when asked for comment on Maswanganyi's readiness to don number 10 – a jersey worn on a regular season by only a handful of players at Pirates over the years, including Sono himself, Percy 'Chippa' Moloi, King 'Kaizer Matatazela' Mkhwanazi, Blessing 'Killer' Mgidi, and most recently Steve Lekoelea (2001).
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The former dribbling wizard warned against comparisons by using an example of an 'elephant' and an 'ant' that left some sections of the football community less than impressed.
"He [Maswanganyi] is ok, but don't compare him with me because you have compared a lot of them [with me] in the past and they 'died'... You can't compare an elephant to an ant, this guy [me] was an elephant," the Jomo Cosmos chairman said.
Mahlangu, in particular, did not mince his words when he shared his thoughts on the Jabu Mahlangu and Diski Shandis Podcast.
"What's up with these timers [fathers]? I won't say I lost respect for Jomo, but as a human being, e is a father, he retired long ago..." lamented the former star.
"So, for him [Maswanganyi] to hear a father like 'Bra J' saying he is an elephant and you can't compare an elephant with an ant... for me, it doesn't sit right.
"So, for me, a timer like 'Bra J' to say he is an elephant, you can't compare an elephant with an ant... it doesn't sit right.
"As a legend of the game, it doesn't sit right with me and the fact that he says on the video that everyone saw, that the only time he ever saw Maswanganyi was when he saw Maswanganyi going in one direction while Pirates was going in another direction...
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"Bra J says Maswanganyi was not on song with the team and [that he] switched the channel to the English Premier League, I don't think that's the right way to talk.
"So, I won't say I lost respect from Bra J, no. It's his opinion. I respect everyone who came before, whether a legend or a former player, because they also contributed to football as well.
"But that part about being an elephant and an ant? This is a young player, it's like you're talking to a son, what will 'Tito' say when he reads something like this from a person of Bra J's calibre?"