"I just didn't care about football anymore," said the former Bafana midfielder.
Andile Jali parted ways withMoroka Swallows in December last year (Samuel Shivambu/BackpagePix)
Andile Jali says he was ready to hang up his boots before he joined Chippa United.
The former Orlando Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns midfielder joined the Chilli Boys as a free agent last month, having spent over six months without a club after parting ways with Moroka Swallows in December 2023.
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Speaking to the SABC, the ex-Bafana Bafana star revealed that he had given up on football and was considering retiring before he got a call from Chippa.
“When Chippa approached me, I agreed to join them, then they told me they thought I was going to join a team in Johannesburg but I had told them that I was retired. Chippa is my home team, so I needed to go home and get some fresh air. I want to retire at home,” Jali said.
“To be honest I didn’t want to retire but a lot was going on. So, when Chippa approached, I thought let me go home and retire in a good space. Mike [Makaab], my agent was the one who was talking to all these teams, I just didn’t care about football anymore, I didn’t even ask him which teams were looking to sign me because I was just over football.”
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Jali could make his debut for Chippa against his former team Orlando Pirates at Orlando Stadium on 14 September.
