Renowned South African football coach, Gordon Igesund, still vividly recalls a chilling incident from nearly two decades ago, when football supporters held a gun to his head.
The event occurred in 2001, a time when Igesund was leading the Buccaneers during a training session. While conducting the session on the field, a group of men suddenly appeared, seemingly out of nowhere, and held Igesund at gunpoint.
The situation was tense, with the coach’s life in immediate danger, yet he was unsure of what triggered such a drastic action. Despite the frightening confrontation, Igesund was unharmed, but the motives behind the attack remain unclear to this day.
At the time, Orlando Pirates was performing exceptionally well, and under Igesund’s guidance, they went on to win the league that season. Yet, despite the success on the field, the incident left an unsettling mark on Igesund.
Even now, the memory of that day stands out as one of the most harrowing experiences in his career, highlighting the sometimes unpredictable and volatile nature of football culture.
“They put a gun to my head, they put a gun in my mouth. One guy had the gun,” the former Bafana Bafana coach told the Soccerbeat podcast, as quoted by IOL.
“Whether it was Orlando Pirates fans or not, or if it was another group of people who wanted to disturb us because we were at the top of the log… we were seven points ahead.”
The 68-year-old former Bucs coach revealed that he was badly beaten during the incident and later opened a case of attempted murder.
“People told me that the bus that came was parked at our offices, but I didn’t think much of it. I was ready to leave, so I moved out of my apartment and into a hotel. I went to the police station and laid a charge of attempted murder,” he added.
“I was beaten up; my hair was pulled, and I was hammered. I was really beaten up.”
Igesund coached Orlando Pirates for only one season. He has also managed several teams in the Premier Soccer League (PSL), including Maritzburg United, Santos FC, Free State Stars, and Moroka Swallows, just to name a few.