Andrew Rabutla swears that the day he makes a comeback to big-time football it will be through his own club.

The former Jomo Cosmos FC skipper was nicknamed “Jaws of Life” for his hard tackling as the defence strongman in the heyday of the club owned by SA legend Jomo Sono. 

He has spent most of his time since retirement honing the football skills of youngsters through his academy, which he says will one day transition into a fully fledged football club. 

“My football academy is already formed and is full of young talented boys who aspire to be professional players one day. So, I have gathered them and continue to mentor and teach them football,” he said.

“One day, I am going to announce my own team. I’m not rushing it but that’s what people can expect.” 

While many other legends get offers to become coaches and club managers of existing teams, this former defender is still planning to introduce the team which could compete against other PSL teams.

The 51-year-old football legend retired from football 2007 after joining Ezenkosi in 1995. He says owning a club is what his heart desires after watching and gathering motivation from his former coach, Jomo Sono.

Growing up in a small village called Ramotshiyadi in Tzaneen, Limpopo, Rabutla supported Kaizer Chiefs as a child. He says he hoped that one day he would find himself getting an offer from the Naturena-based team, a dream he says that nearly came true at some point. 

“I got an offer from Amakhosi chairman Kaizer Motaung while I was playing for the Sundowns reserve team. He told me to come join them but as I was about to accept the offer, Bra J [Sono] cornered me and told me that he owns and coaches Jomo Cosmos.

"So he asked me how sure I am that the coach at Chiefs will give me game time, and that’s when I took a decision to follow him (Sono) because he gave me that reassurance I needed as a soccer player at the time,” Rabutla told Sowetan in an interview.

“I still love Cosmos even today because it turned me into a household name. It gave me the opportunity to showcase my talent and built me. I still hope that one day, it can [return] to the Premier Soccer League. It pains me to see its struggle [in the lower leagues].” 

Having served Cosmos for more than 10 years, Rabutla is convinced that joining Cosmos was the best choice he has ever made in his football career.

Although he has no recollection of how he earned this nickname, he says it was welcomed with open arms and brought nothing but pride. 

“As they say, if you don’t have a nickname in football then that means you didn’t deliver as a player."

Back in Ramotshiyadi, Rabutla was raised by his grandmother alongside his older brother following their mother's passing when he was only five. 

“It was tough for me but my grandmother tried her best to raise us. Most of the time, I was playing football in the streets and in high school.”  

His uncle who lived in Pretoria began to notice his talent and encouraged the youngster to visit him in Gauteng during school breaks. 

“I started visiting my uncle in Mamelodi from time to time because he wanted me to get exposure. The more I visited him, the more enthusiastic I grew. It was like he knew I would get far. After matric, I went to live with him to be closer to opportunities,” said Rabutla. 

As a footballer Rabutla travelled around the country and internationally but he says he always found time to spend with his family. He has three daughters and one son and says he wants more children, “a soccer team” to be specific. 

“It was years of football while representing my team and the country. So, now it’s time to relax a bit, spend time with my family and take my children to school. I do have other dreams I still plan to take off the ground.”  

He said life hasn’t exactly been easy after football but he continues to lean on his supportive family. 

“During my tenure, we never got paid like how professional players are getting paid these days. It was a different time, but I am doing well and looking forward to developing children and using skills I gained when I was still a player,” he said.