Oh Teko, please say it ain't true

SOMETIME last year a cousin of mine told me a simply outrageous and maybe ridiculous story. And I must mention that this is a man who is given to exaggeration at the best of times.

But it was not my cousin's poor record with simple truths that made me take his story with a pinch of salt. It was just that, if true, his story was a very sad one about a man many regard as a great.

Cousy dearest tells a story of a night of bingeing at a popular Soweto pub where he and his three friends were joined by Orlando Pirates and Bafana Bafana midfield maestro Teko Modise.

Apparently the foursome cleaned out no less than two bottles of expensive single-malt whisky. As a bonus, Modise reportedly bought each of his three friends a takeaway bottle or two of the same tipple.

The bill, I am told, came to something short of R40000, money our enfant terrible boasted was from McDonald's - the fast food chain for which he was the poster boy.

I did not dismiss my cousin, but I walked away full of disbelief and doubt. I suspected my source was economical with the truth and probably overstated the figure paid for the binge, if ever there was one.

But only days later a colleague of mine, who is fairly close to Modise, lamented what he called the sorrowful drinking of the star. My colleague said that the man was virtually taking out his frustration on the bottle.

Why am I telling this story? I hope we have all read the story of Modise's suspension from the Pirates camp for going AWOL and disregarding the club's rules and regulations. He apparently left the club's camp before last Saturday's game against Santos, citing troubles at home. It would appear he did not inform management and he then did not bother to return once the reported troubles were over.

It may well be that Modise is not drinking any alcohol. In fact, I hope and pray that my cousin and colleague above were lying for one reason or another. After all, as Kaizer Chiefs fans, maybe they have reason to hate him.

But what is clear is that the "young" man is in trouble. He has been out of form for nearly three years. I mean, this is unheard of. Even Collins Mbesuma seems to be regaining some form after a two-year slump.

Unlike other players who lose their form, though, Modise has been very lucky. Except for the better part of this season, he has continued to enjoy game time at Pirates and national coach Pitso Mosimane still picks him for Bafana.

This luck has not changed his fortunes on the pitch, though. He still fails to impress and his football obituary is now getting embellished with more adjectives and anecdotes unrelated to football.

I hope Modise is not drowning in alcohol, for if he is then he is a bloody fool who is wasting his last few years in the game. But if it is true, he needs help and he needs it soon.

What I do know, though, is that true or false, the stories my cousin and colleague tell about Modise are stories no sportsman - especially one whose star is on the wane - should be associated with.

Either way, Modise is out of form because he has allegedly been drinking or he is drinking because he cannot regain his form. That stinks. How many times can we have great stars digging their own graves and wasting their hard-earned money through such stupidity?

Do me a favour, Teko, tell me it isn't true.