Eymael pays tribute to late Free State Stars boss
The South African football fraternity was met by sad news after the passing away of Mike Mokoena, Free State Stars owner and long-time PSL executive committee member.
A farm boy at heart. The man behind Free State Stars has built his success on the values he learned growing up on a farm. Mike has been with Free State Stars since they began and hopes to leave it to his sons, Kootso and Rantsi. Feature text available. (Photo by Gallo Images/Drum/Fani Mahuntsi)
Mike Mokoena passed away on Wednesday after succumbing to cancer after a long fight.
Luc Eymael, who served under Mokoena’s watch at Ea Lla Koto between 2017 and 2018 where he guided the side to its maiden top-flight cup title, as Stars beat Maritzburg United in the 2018 Nedbank Cup final in Cape Town, described Mokoena as a gentlenman and great servant of the game.
“The chairman was a good person, a big man who knew the business of football and the PSL. He was a respectable person and he will always be in my heart, like the Mokoena family. I am so sorry and I express my sincere condolences to the entire family, the mother and to all the sons, and to everybody there,” Eymael told Phakaaathi.
“For me, we had a special relationship despite separating, we have always been in touch with Rantsy and people from Free State Stars,” he added.
Mokoena’s son, Thapelo, also paid tribute to his father via his Instagram account, where he posted a black photograph and captioned it as follows: “I’ve been dreading this day for a long time now. You put up a good fight with this cancer. Thank you for life. Thank you for the years. You can rest now. You also chose to leave on your son’s birthday,” Thapelo wrote.
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