Cape Town City chairman John Comitis’ love of football started when he was growing up as a young boy in the Democratic Republic of Congo (then Zaire) where he was born.
It was while growing up in a village in the DRC that Kinshasa-born Comitis’ love for the beautiful game grew. And the rest as they say is history as Comitis went on to become one of the finest football administrators in South Africa.
“I was born in Congo, Kinshasa. We lived in a village. I think the only thing I knew was football. There was no other sport for us. Two bricks and a ball, that’s all you needed. Everyday was football day,” Comitis said.
“I carried on from there. Ultimately, I carried on playing football and the story goes on. And here we are with Cape Town City.”
Football opened many doors for Comitis, who graduated to play professionally for Jomo Cosmos, Wits University, Hellenic and Cape Town Spurs.
He then went on to own Spurs before they merged with Seven Stars to form Ajax Cape Town in 1999.
“You know football opens doors. It’s not just about the game on the pitch. The relationships that one builds through football. When that is good, you know you are doing things right,” he said.
Comitis, a University of the Witwatersrand mechanical engineering graduate, enjoys his position as chairman as it offers him an opportunity to manage people.
“I’m a psychologist as a chairman. It’s about managing people, managing how they think and steering them in the right direction. Changing their negativities into positives. Noticing moments when things are not right. Stepping in and allowing people to express themselves,” the Citizens boss said.
Having led both the Urban Warriors and the Citizens to cup glory, the former Ajax chairman’s dream is to be remembered for the role he played in players’ careers.
“On the football front, I think I want to be remembered as somebody that made the difference to the community at large, entertaining the crowd, making them stand on their seats. And that if you follow your dream you can achieve it. Seeing a player of yours that was 15 ending up playing in the Champions League against Barcelona is the ultimate,” he concluded.
