Raymond Jaravaza
AT age 30, the twilight of a football career — game time at club level is vital to cement a jersey in the national team and that is what motivated Warriors midfielder Ovidy Karuru to join ‘smaller club’ Stellenbosch in the Absa Premiership.
Karuru made a surprise move from AmaZulu FC, a well-supported club in Durban, Kwazulu Natal Province, to
Premiership lightweights Stellenbosch, a move that caught many football supporters off guard.
“I wasn’t getting much game time at AmaZulu and for a player my age who still dreams of playing for his national team I had to make a decision about my future even if it meant joining a so-called smaller team.
“The fact that Stellenbosch plays in the Absa Premiership means they are a good team with big ambitions so I did not think twice about moving here,” said Karuru.
Stellenbosch Football Club was established in 2016 and is the first Absa Premiership team based in Stellenbosch, Western Cape Province, and plays home games at Coetzenburg Stadium.
The player dismissed the notion that he was offloaded by his former club.
Instead he says he asked to be released.
“It is not true to say that I was offloaded. I had already received a very good offer from Stellenbosch via email, and I felt that it was the right time to make the move and take up a new challenge.
“So my former club agreed to release me and immediately after I signed for Stellenbosch,” he said.
Ovidy says he was impressed by how much Stellenbosch wanted his services that he felt appreciated and couldn’t wait to make the move to the Western Cape.
“A footballer always wants to play where he is loved. They had been chasing after my signature since they were promoted,” he added.
