From being known simply as Ali to being addressed as Mr Mokoena to being now hailed as Dr Mokoena, Safa’s former chief executive has come a long way.
Having recently obtained his PhD in knowledge management from the University of Liverpool in England, former Safa boss Ali Mokoena wants to put his latest qualification to good use in sports administration.
The 58-year-old said he decided to go back to his studies to debunk the myth that sports and education did not mix.
He said it was important for sports administrators to arm themselves with academic qualifications to stay relevant and keep up with the fourth industrial revolution.
“Education is key in everything we do, and it is about time administrators equipped themselves with education,” said Mokoena.
“Sport has evolved so much over the years and we, as administrators, should not be left behind, else this game is going to humble us. We have come a long way as a country and we now have to move with the times.”
Mokoena added that he hoped to use his newly acquired knowledge to help improve sports administration.
“The aim is to improve the administration of sports at large and to encourage athletes to supplement their sporting talent with education in order to remain relevant in sport as they mature into adults.
“We need to encourage our athletes to study as we need more educated administrators,” he stressed.
Although Mokoena has been keeping a low profile since he left Safa in 2004, he says he was never lost to sport.
He has been chairperson of the Basketball National League for the past seven years.
“Sport is in my blood and I will always play a role wherever I am needed. I just took a back seat, but I was always involved in the background because I want to play a meaningful role in improving lives,” he said.
Mokoena currently owns the Soweto Panthers basketball club as well as the Soweto Panthers football club.
“Coming from humble beginnings, where I used to pick stuff from the Maraisburg and Florida dump sites, I have seen what education can do to emancipate one from poverty. To affirm the principles of personal development, I studied leadership coaching and followed this up with a doctoral degree in business administration, specialising in knowledge management,” he explained.
“Regardless of your life challenges or the successes that you achieve in your various disciplines – especially in sports, where mixed fortunes are prevalent – whether you are a player or an administrator, education is a great way to focus the mind and complement the street wisdom that would have been the pinnacle of your excellence.”