He started at SuperSport as a ring announcer with the late boxing promoter, Mzi Mnguni, in the late 1990s before becoming a seasoned boxing commentator, becoming the first to commentate in isiZulu and English on the sports broadcaster. He became SuperSport’s “Mr Versatile”, featuring on popular football magazine shows, Super Saturday and Soccer Africa, SuperSport is sadly mourning the loss of its legendary football and boxing commentator, presenter and anchor, Phumlani Msibi, who died on Friday, after a short illness at the age of 57.
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Msibi was born on 15 December 1967 in Durban. Supersport said in a statement, he was a passionate and supremely talented storyteller, with a penchant for live football and boxing commentary and analysis. In his decades-long and storied broadcasting career, his iconic phrase, “Coach, thoughts please?” upped the intrigue for viewers in post-match interviews and became iconic in the football fraternity. “Msibi soon embedded himself in the football sphere, becoming one of the faces and voices of football on SuperSport following the acquisition of the Premier Soccer League (PSL) broadcast rights in 2007.”
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This proved a pivotal point in his career, whereby Msibi grew his repertoire, immersing himself in all things football on SuperSport, whether live or on magazine programming. His clever use of language, whether isiZulu or English, endeared him to viewers across the continent, while his humility made his interviewees comfortable in front of camera.
