How Jomo stopped Pirates legend Mark Fish from joining Chiefs
How Jomo stopped Pirates legend Mark Fish from joining Chiefs
Orlando Pirates and Bafana Bafana legend Mark Fish revealed he almost joined Kaizer Chiefs before signing for the Buccaneers in 1994.
The former Lazio defender started his football journey with Jomo Cosmos in 1991 as a 17-year-old. He revealed his first paycheck was R800 a month but doubled in his second year.
Speaking on the Podcast and Chill with MacG, the 50-year-old said he nearly signed for Kaizer Chiefs in 1994. It took his former coach and Pirates legend Jomo Sono to stop Mark Fish from joining Amakhosi.
“When we got relegated, in the following season, we found ourselves [with other teammates from Cosmos] at Pirates,” he said.
“When I was on my way to see Jomo, I think the old PRO from Kaizer Chiefs saw me and we started chatting.
“He said the Chiefs fans had been writing him messages saying they would like to see me and Lucas [Radebe] playing together before Lucas went to Leeds [United].
“When I told Jomo, he said, ‘if you sign for Kaizer Chiefs, I’ll make sure you never play football again in this country. Anyway, I found myself at Pirates.”
Mark Fish instantly became a fan favourite at Pirates and went on to win the CAF Champions League in 1995.
“Pirates was a massive eye-opener for me,” he added.
Having won the 1996 Africa Cup of Nations, Fish signed with Lazio after turning down Manchester United. He came close to joining the Red Devils after impressing United icon Sir Bobby Charlton.
Ex-Pirates defender Mark Fish nearly joined Amakhosi
“At the time I had people who were representing me and he(Charlton) has spoken to them and we were in agreement that we went to Man United and Lazio in Italy, those were the two clubs. Two weeks later, we flew out and went to meet Sir Alex Ferguson at Old Trafford and they had a game that night against Everton. Afterwards, we sat in his office, and he just wanted me to train with the team,” he said.
Having left Pirates, Mark Fish found himself in Europe at the age of 22. He said Lazio wanted to sign him immediately after he met the club’s officials, unlike at United.
Fish reveals why he chose Lazio over Man United in 1996
“I had to do an eight-hour medical, which I passed. In the 90s, Serie A was booming and as a defender, it was a better place to be.”