View source for Steve Komphela

{{Short description|South African soccer player and manager}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2021}}
{{Use South African English|date=August 2012}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name = Steve Komphela
| image = 
| fullname = Steven Mbuyi Komphela
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1967|07|01|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[Kroonstad]], South Africa
| height = 
| position = [[Defender (association football)|Defender]]
| currentclub = 
| years1 = 1985–1989
| clubs1 = Klerksdorp City
| caps1 = 80
| goals1 = 4
| years2 = 1989–1993
| clubs2 = [[Free State Stars]]
| caps2 = 136
| goals2 = 14
| years3 = 1993
| clubs3 = [[Kaizer Chiefs]]
| caps3 = 34
| goals3 = 5
| years4 = 1993–1996
| clubs4 = [[Gaziantepspor]]
| caps4 = 86
| goals4 = 2
| years5 = 1996–1997
| clubs5 = [[Çanakkale Dardanelspor]]
| caps5 = 17
| goals5 = 0
| totalcaps = 353
| totalgoals = 25
| nationalyears1 = 1992–1995
| nationalteam1 = [[South Africa national football team|South Africa]]
| nationalcaps1 = 24
| nationalgoals1 = 0
| manageryears1 = 2002–2003
| manageryears2 = 2003–2004
| manageryears3 = 2004
| manageryears4 = 2006–2007
| manageryears5 = 2005–2008
| manageryears6 = 2008–2009
| manageryears7 = 2009–2010
| manageryears8 = 2010–2013
| manageryears9 = 2012
| manageryears10 = 2014–2015
| manageryears11 = 2015–2018
| manageryears12 = 2018–2019
| manageryears13 = 2019–2020
| manageryears14 = 2020–2023
| manageryears15 = 2023–2024
| manageryears16 = 2024–2024
| manageryears17 = 2024–
| managerclubs1 = [[Manning Rangers]]
| managerclubs2 = [[Dynamos F.C. (South Africa)|Dynamos]]
| managerclubs3 = [[South Africa national under-20 football team|South Africa U-20]]
| managerclubs4 = [[Maritzburg United]]
| managerclubs5 = [[South Africa national under-23 football team|South Africa U-23]]
| managerclubs6 = [[Free State Stars F.C.|Free State Stars]]
| managerclubs7 = [[Platinum Stars F.C.|Platinum Stars]]
| managerclubs8 = [[Free State Stars F.C.|Free State Stars]]
| managerclubs9 = [[South Africa national football team|South Africa]] (caretaker)
| managerclubs10 = [[Maritzburg United F.C.|Maritzburg United]]
| managerclubs11 = [[Kaizer Chiefs]]
| managerclubs12 = [[Bloemfontein Celtic]]
| managerclubs13 = [[Golden Arrows]]
| managerclubs14 = [[Mamelodi Sundowns]]
| managerclubs15 = [[Moroka Swallows F.C.|Swallows]]
| managerclubs16 = [[Golden Arrows]]
| managerclubs17 = [[Mamelodi Sundowns]]
}}

'''Steve Komphela''' (born 1 July 1967) is a South African football coach and a former player who is the manager of South African Premier Soccer League club [[Mamelodi Sundowns F.C.]]<ref>{{Cite web |last=Vadien |first=Tashreeq |title=Veteran coach Steve Komphela back at Golden Arrows with another rescue job required |url=https://sundownsfc.co.za/ |website=Sport |language=en-US}}</ref>

==Early life==
Steve was born in Golden Valley farm, 20&nbsp;km outside [[Kroonstad]] to Jack Koyi Koyo and Nomalanga Komphela as the youngest of 11 children.<ref name="auto" /> Politician [[Butana Komphela]] is his brother.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |date=24 January 2022 |title=Former Free State MEC Butana Komphela dies after Covid-19 hospital admission |url=https://www.timeslive.co.za/news/south-africa/2022-01-24-former-free-state-mec-butana-komphela-dies-after-covid-19-hospital-admission/ |access-date=2023-03-19 |website=Sunday Times |language=en-ZA}}</ref> Komphela became a teacher by profession after he got his teacher's diploma at Tshiya College in [[Free State (province)|Free State]].<ref name="auto">{{Cite news|url=http://m.news24.com/sport24/Soccer/PSL/Komphela-is-made-of-stern-stuff-20150725|title=Steve Komphela is made of stern stuff|work=News 24|access-date=2018-06-07}}</ref>

==Club career==
Komphela started out at [[NSL Second Division]] side Klerksdorp City<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.tfgsoccerclub.co.za/shorts/the-list/simply-the-best/|title=Soccer - SportsClub|website=SportsClub|language=en-US|access-date=2018-06-07|archive-date=22 April 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180422062417/http://www.tfgsoccerclub.co.za/shorts/the-list/simply-the-best/|url-status=dead}}</ref> and later [[Qwa Qwa Stars]] where he earned promotion to the [[National Soccer League]]. He made his NSL debut on 9 February 1986 in a 4–1 win over [[Witbank Aces]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://archive.org/details/Kickoff_December_2015|title=Kickoff |date=December 2015|via=Internet Archive}}</ref><ref name="auto"/> In 1992, Komphela helped his team to a third-place finish in the league and was voted the NSL Players' Player of the Year. He later joined Kaizer Chiefs where he played all 34 league games and signed a contract overseas on 16 August 1993 moving to [[Gaziantepspor]] for the second half of 1993/94 season alongside fellow South African [[Teboho Moloi]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.national-football-teams.com/club/2587/1993_1/Gaziantepspor.html|title=Gaziantepspor (93/94)|last=Strack-Zimmermann|first=Benjamin|website=national-football-teams.com|language=en|access-date=2018-06-07}}</ref> He retired in 1997.<ref>{{NFT player|293|access-date=13 July 2023}}</ref>

==Outside football==
Komphela is married to Mamoepi Komphela, and together they have three kids: Nombuyiselo, Nomalanga, and Noxolo. He taught at the [[Johannesburg]] Secondary School but apart from being a life orientation teacher and a professional footballer, Komphela was also a TV presenter. He hosted his own talk show on Çanakkale Dardanelspor's television channel.<ref name="auto"/><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://mg.co.za/article/2015-06-18-homeboy-kicks-off-new-chiefs-era|title=Homeboy kicks off new Chiefs era|last=Gleeson|first=Mark|work=The M&G Online|access-date=2018-06-07|language=en}}</ref>
Komphela was approached by SABC to be the host of a football talk show but rejected this opportunity. Steve also tutors the [[Mamelodi Sundowns]] youth team. He said the youth need brains to play football because "without brains a footballer is just a headless chicken chasing a ball".{{citation needed|date=February 2023}} He also takes part in many youth uplifting programs.<ref name="auto"/>

==International career==
Komphela is a founder member of the new national team of [[South Africa]]. He made his debut on 7 July 1992 in a 1–0 win over [[Cameroon]]. On 24 October 1992 against [[Republic of the Congo|Congo]], his 7th cap, he captained the team in its second World Cup qualifier. He played every minute of the first 22 internationals. He captained the team for the 18th and last time in a 2–2 draw against [[Zambia]] on 22 November 1995 which was his 24th cap.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.rsssf.org/tablesz/zaf-intres1995.html|title=South Africa - International Matches 1992-1995|website=[[RSSSF]]|access-date=2018-06-07}}</ref> Having played almost half of the team's internationals up to December 1995. He was not selected for the [[1996 African Cup of Nations]] for obvious reasons.<ref name="auto"/>

==Coaching career==
Komphela began his coaching career with [[Manning Rangers F.C.]] in 2002. Between 2002 and 2015, he coached several clubs, in which he all worked for a single season.

In 2015, he joined [[Kaizer Chiefs F.C.]] on a three-year contract. Kaizer Chiefs won the Macufe Cup in 2016 and 2017, the Carling Black Label Cup in 2016 and 2017, and the Maize Cup in 2017 under Komphela.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Diski Undiluted: Steve Komphela and the overlooked trophies |url=https://diskiundiluted.blogspot.com/2024/04/steve-komphela-and-overlooked-trophies.html |access-date=2024-05-31 |website=Diski Undiluted}}</ref> He resigned as head coach of the club with immediate effect following a 2-0 Nedbank Cup semi-final loss to Free State Stars in April 2018.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Steve Komphela resigns as Kaizer Chiefs coach |url=https://www.news24.com/sport/steve-komphela-resigns-as-kaizer-chiefs-coach-20180421 |access-date=2024-03-07 |website=Sport |language=en-US}}</ref>

In July 2018, he joined [[Bloemfontein Celtic]] which was undergoing financial struggles at the time.

Shortly after he started his new career with [[Bloemfontein Celtic]], he started the 2018-19 [[Premier Soccer League]] league with a huge surprise. He won the first six consecutive league games and got a 2–2 draw against [[Kaizer Chiefs]], after which his team was down to 2–0 at one point later in the second-half. He also beat [[Orlando Pirates]] in that first leg of the season. He managed Golden Arrows but resigned a day before he was announced as the new [[Mamelodi Sundowns]] coach. He was announced to coach Mamelodi Sundowns on the club's Twitter on Monday 12 October 2020.<ref>{{cite tweet |user=Masandawana |title=Coach Steve Komphela joined the Brazilians at training this morning |number=1315632819541073921 |date=12 October 2020 }}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{South Africa national soccer team managers}}
{{Kaizer Chiefs F.C. managers}}
{{Moroka Swallows F.C. squad}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Komphela, Steve}}
[[Category:1967 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:South African men's soccer players]]
[[Category:Men's association football defenders]]
[[Category:South Africa men's international soccer players]]
[[Category:Free State Stars F.C. players]]
[[Category:Kaizer Chiefs F.C. players]]
[[Category:Gaziantepspor footballers]]
[[Category:Çanakkale Dardanelspor footballers]]
[[Category:South African Premier Division players]]
[[Category:Süper Lig players]]
[[Category:South African expatriate men's soccer players]]
[[Category:Expatriate men's footballers in Turkey]]
[[Category:South African expatriate sportspeople in Turkey]]
[[Category:South African soccer managers]]
[[Category:Manning Rangers F.C. managers]]
[[Category:Dynamos F.C. (South Africa) managers]]
[[Category:Durban City F.C. (2024) managers]]
[[Category:Free State Stars F.C. managers]]
[[Category:Platinum Stars F.C. managers]]
[[Category:South Africa national soccer team managers]]
[[Category:Kaizer Chiefs F.C. managers]]
[[Category:Bloemfontein Celtic F.C. managers]]
[[Category:Lamontville Golden Arrows F.C. managers]]
[[Category:Mamelodi Sundowns F.C. managers]]
[[Category:Moroka Swallows F.C. managers]]
[[Category:20th-century South African sportsmen]]