YOUNG STAR Former Orlando Pirates star, Patrick Maswanganyi has urged south African fans to be gentler with rising youngsters.

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Patrick Maswanganyi has praised Mfundo Vilakazi as a special talent while urging Kaizer Chiefs supporters and the wider football community to stop jeering young players when they make mistakes.

During his spell at Orlando Pirates, Maswanganyi quickly became a fan favourite thanks to his trickery and quick feet. Soon after, a player with similar flair emerged across Soweto in Chiefs' Vilakazi, adding extra spark to matchdays.

Speaking in a recent interview with members of the South African Football Journalists' Association (Safja), Maswanganyi revealed that his close bond with Vilakazi began after spotting him at a township tournament.

“We speak now, and we are very close,” Maswanganyi said. “He calls me sometimes, and I also call him. I watched him play in Tembisa before he went to the first team. I told my friend that this boy is very special and one day he’s going to play for a big team. I just didn’t know that he was already in Chiefs' development ranks at that time.”

While pleased with Vilakazi’s progress, Maswanganyi expressed frustration over the harsh treatment young players endure whenever they fall short of expectations. Reflecting on the pressure, he noted that protecting his own mental health and family contributed to his decision to submit a transfer request at Pirates during the winter window to join Bahraini side Al-Khaldiya.

“My plea is for fans to take it easy, especially on young players coming through,” said Maswanganyi. “Sometimes you see Mfundo Vilakazi playing, trying his best, but things don’t come off. Then you see a lot of fans turning on a player who is still very young for the club they support.”

Maswanganyi pointed to another recent incident involving Chiefs starlet Mduduzi Shabalala during their 2-1 Carling Knockout quarter-final victory over Siwelele in Polokwane.

“It’s really not good because these are players who still need room to grow. Senior players can handle that kind of criticism much better than youngsters,” Maswanganyi explained. “I watched that Chiefs game and saw Mdu miss a penalty, and the fans immediately started signalling for him to be substituted. Minutes later, he won another penalty, and the team got back into the game.

“Imagine if they had taken him off right after the miss. They probably wouldn’t have scored, and they might have lost the match.”