Kaizer Chiefs legend Siphiwe Tshabalala has opened up about his financial suffering after his failed fish and chips business. The Fish & Chip Co. opened doors in June 2011 as the former Bafana Bafana playmaker moved into business for the first time to capitalise on the growing popularity and status of his football career.

However, the 35-year-old admits it may not have been the wisest decision and laments the lack of guidance South African footballers receive in terms of handling their finances at a young age.

Speaking to the South African Football Journalists’ Association, the 90-time capped South African icon opened up about overcoming failure and why it’s imperative to make sound investments at the peak of your career. What really helped me was discipline. It’s key, not only in football but everywhere. If you want to be successful you must be disciplined, determined and patient,” Tshabalala explains when asked about his role models.

Don’t compare yourself with the next person. Growing up, the advice we would get [from older players] was just common, they would advise in making investments [like] buying a house and saving money and that’s where it ends.

“So you would buy a house and then what? You buy an R500 000 house or a R1-million house then you retire and you’re left with R2-million left in your pocket. It’s not going to sustain you. When you retire at 35, you know to 60 it’s still a long time to live a good life. We needed proper education, to say you must buy a house and why you should buy one, why you must invest in property, why you must invest in cars or whatever.