A hurt Andile Jali considered retiring before joining Chippa United

In an exclusive interview with SABC Sport from the Chippa United camp in Johannesburg, Jali poured his heart out on how their treatment at the now-defunct Moroka Swallows almost ended his career and passion for the game.

The former Orlando Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns midfield powerhouse says the thought of hanging up his boots at his home club in the Eastern Cape was a no-brainer.

"When Chippa approached me, I agreed to join them, then they told me they thought I was going to join a team in Johannesburg but I had told them that I was retired. Chippa is my home team, so I needed to go home and get some fresh air. I want to retire at home," Jali said.

Jali, who has been capped 49 times at the international level and scored five goals, started his career at the University of Pretoria.

The late Bafana Bafana coach Clive Barker discovered him during the Coca-Cola Football Stars schools tournament in Port Elizabeth.

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He then recommended him to his nephew Steve Barker, who was coaching at Tuks at the time.

The 34-year-old reveals that after he left Swallows at the beginning of this year, he had given up on football.

"To be honest I didn't want to retire but there was a lot going on. So, when Chippa approached, I thought let me go home and retire in a good space. Mike [Makaab], my agent was the one who was talking to all these teams, I just didn't care about football anymore, I didn't even ask him which teams were looking to sign me because I was just over football."