SuperSport United coach Kaitano Tembo has urged football players to be responsible also outside the pitch and safeguard their futures.

Tembo’s claims follow after the untimely death of Mamelodi Sundowns defender Motjeka Madisha early this week. The 25-year old died in a horrific car accident on Sunday morning in Jo’burg.

Madisha lost his life shortly after former Bafana and Sundowns defender Anele Ngcongca also perished in a car crash in KwaZulu-Natal.

“In terms of us as a club playing a role in terms of educating the players‚ we always do that on a regular basis,” said Tembo as quoted by Sunday Times. “But at the same time, the onus is also on individuals to take responsibility for their futures.

“If you take for example now‚ we are in this pandemic, and every one of us has to follow the government’s safety regulations.

“Information is out there that everyone must wear a mask‚ practice social distancing‚ sanitize, but how many of us are doing that.

“It is also important for players to take responsibility because it’s their futures, and it is their lives. The clubs can only do so much, but the players have to take responsibility.

“We might see it as only soccer players who are perishing on the roads, but they are just a drop in the ocean.

“We have a bigger societal problem which is reflecting on what is happening out there. It has to be a collective thing in terms of managing this because our roads have become death traps for everyone.”