Consequently, Jomo Sono was left in the care of his ailing grandparents; as they were very poor, he had to resort to selling apples and peanuts at football games and train stations to clothe himself, buy food for his grandparents and pay school fees.
15 Facts About Jomo Sono
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2.
Jomo Sono soon gained fame for his all-round ability, dribbling and accurate passing skills.
3.
Jomo Sono completed his stint in North America playing for the Toronto Blizzard, playing three summers, 1980 through 1982.
4.
Jomo Sono taught and gave demonstrations at Clemson University Soccer Camp for youths.
5.
Jomo Sono spent time with Portuguese club Sporting CP and Italian club Juventus, but was unable to obtain work permits for permanent contracts.
6.
Jomo Sono has taken a leading role in discovering and developing new football talent, especially from rural areas.
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Some players whom Jomo Sono recruited and then went on to play for the South African national team and European clubs include Philemon Masinga, Helman Mkhalele, Sizwe Motaung and Mark Fish.
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Indeed, his recruits formed the core of the South African squad that won the 1996 African Nations Cup; Jomo Sono was a technical advisor to the team's head coach Clive Barker during the tournament.
9.
In 1998, Jomo Sono was appointed as caretaker coach of the Bafana Bafana just before the African Nations Cup tournament in Burkina Faso in the place of Clive Barker, who had been sacked just before the event.
10.
Jomo Sono was again appointed as caretaker coach, this time for the 2002 FIFA World Cup in South Korea and Japan.
11.
Jomo Sono is the longest-serving coach in the South African Premier League and sits on the board of the Premier Soccer League.
12.
Jomo Sono has built up a reputation as a successful businessman; in addition to making a substantial profit by developing players and selling them to European teams, he owns a number of businesses and is a chairman of numerous companies.
13.
Jomo Sono was voted 49th in the Top 100 Great South Africans in 2004.
14.
In December 2016, Jomo Sono received two doctorates from the University of London and the University of Dubai for his contribution to football and business.
15.
Jomo Sono is married and has four children, including the South Africa national football team member Bamuza Sono, and his second son Matsilela Junior played for Jomo Cosmos.