Lungile Radu Lungile Radu
TV host and actor, Lungile Radu, is at it again. Coming to you on Wednesday with a new show, Mzansi Footballers, Radu shared with us what he was cooking up and why you will love this series.
“I would like to say that the idea came from divine intervention, but that would be a lie. The idea for Mzansi Footballers was inspired by our other show, Goal Diggers, which saw me travel across Europe and check out the lifestyles of African football players. It was a good run, but then we thought of bringing the same concept home and celebrating our local football players by checking out their lives off the pitch,” explained the presenter.
For him, Mzansi Footballers is about more than just flashy, opulent lifestyles; it is about telling the untold stories of how these individuals live, including their ups and downs.
“The thing is, while the football players have amazing, affluent lives, this show is not really about that alone. The subjects we have on the show will also show their struggles. They share their trials and tribulations which might include their daily struggles or losing a parent. We love how they hustle and become really successful, but that’s not the only story that we tell. We tell as much as we can about the man behind the ball,” explained Radu.
If you think about it, successful local football stars are rumoured to be rich, but unlike as is seen in Europe, they tend to be private about their business. Radu admitted that that aspect was problematic in some instances, but he still managed to get the interviews he needed.
“We are all private, and rightfully so. In some cases, it’s also for security purposes. They can’t ?be inviting just anyone into their homes, which is why we are humbled that they let us in. The other cool thing was that, in some cases, this access was not only to their homes, but to their loved ones, too. Some of those instances saw us go on holiday with these families, which was humbling. They also shed some light on where they are from and where they aspire to be,” he said.
Given that football is a competitive game, almost every man has a team and Radu is no exception. During his interviews, he would declare his love for a particular team, even to the rival players, with interesting results.
“I am a Chiefs fan and am very vocal about it. We respect our competitors because without them, there wouldn’t be an ‘us’. We can’t be winners without losers,” he said.
Several players, active and retired, signed up to appear on Mzansi Footballers and Radu name-dropped a few.
“We have a number of players on the show who include legends likeBenni McCarthy and players who playabroad, butstill live here, like Kagiso Dikgacoi. We also have the likes of Thabo September, which is exciting,” said Radu. Given that these men have hectic schedules, sometimes getting the interview was close to impossible.
“It wasn’t easy to get the interviews. These guys have to work every day and their jobs entail intensive training on the pitch and in the gym and that leaves them with little time. So it was all worth it in the end and hopefully there will be more seasons to come.We are still in post-production and shooting a few inserts, though the bulk of the work is done, but there are some things that we still need to do to wrap up?,” explained Radu.
So what was one of the exciting things that Radu had to do?
“Let’s just say there was a race between a Ferrari and a Bentley. That was one of the challenges that we had to go through.
“That’s all I can say for now. This is how some people are living, man!,” he said.
“We also got into some deep, meaningful stuff. We went to several of these guys’ foundations and got to see how they give back to their communities.There are so many tournaments that are funded by these guys from their own pockets and I think that’s amazing,” he added.
Mzansi Footballers premiers Wednesday on Mzansi Magic (DStv channel 161) at 8pm.
