AM I disappointed?
Yes, I am...
Am I discouraged? Absolutely not.
So says Bongani Zungu as he opened up on his failed move to Spanish La Liga side, Mallorca.
In fact, the France-based midfielder is back training with his Ligue 1 side Amiens, preparing for a trip to Lyon tomorrow night.
Zungu flew to the Balearic Islands in time for the transfer deadline on Friday, hoping to clinch a loan move to Mallorca. The deal had been underway for a week then.
But just as he was about to put pen to paper and seal a transfer, the Bafana Bafana midfielder suffered arguably the biggest disappointment of his career.
“I negotiated personal terms with the club. I was happy. Everybody was happy and the next thing I was on a flight back to Spain. We were just waiting for a go ahead from Amiens. Then it all changed,” Zungu told SunSport from France yesterday.
“You know the feeling when you are expecting something and it doesn’t happen... I was disappointed.”
The former Mamelodi Sundowns star, however, is not wallowing in misery.
He was back in France and was an unused substitute when Amiens played to a goalless draw with Toulouse at the weekend.
“I have to be strong. All is not lost. Life goes on,” he said.
“How will it help to be grumpy and refuse to train? At the end of the day I’m expected to train and produce on the pitch. The club gave a proper explanation and have apologised. They gave their reason, emphasising they didn’t want to lose me at this point.”
Mallorca had been monitoring Zungu for some time, following him as far as the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) in Egypt last year.
“They knew what they were expecting from me. They knew the person they wanted to sign. I spoke to the CEO. Their coach told me of the role they had earmarked for me.”
Amiens are third from bottom on the log with 19 points from 22 games in the 22-team Ligue 1, still battling to ward off the threat of relegation.
