Essop Moosa (born 1952/1953), nicknamed Smiley and also known as Arthur Williams, is a South African former

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

player and racing commentator.

Early and personal life

Moosa's paternal grandfather was from

Surat Surat is a city in the western Indian state of Gujarat. The word Surat literally means ''face'' in Gujarati and Hindi. Located on the banks of the river Tapti near its confluence with the Arabian Sea, it used to be a large seaport. It is now ...

in Gujarat, British India. Under South Africa's apartheid race laws, Moosa was classified as "Indian", although his father was classified as "White" and his mother as "Coloured". His younger brother

Zane The name Zane may be a given name or a surname. Its western usage derives from the Venetian form of ''Gianni'' or an alternate spelling of the German and Jewish name ''Zahn''. An Arabic name Zain, Zayn, or as it is often anglicized Zane, is an Arab ...

was also a footballer. Moosey was nicknamed "Smiley".

Playing career

Moosa played for

Sundowns Mamelodi Sundowns Football Club (simply known as Sundowns) is a South African professional football club based in Mamelodi, Pretoria in the Gauteng province that plays in the Premier Soccer League, the first tier of South African football l ...

at the age of 16.Hawkey, p. 185 In November 1972 he appeared in a Cup competition between two teams from the whites-only National Football League, representing

Berea Park Berea Park is a multi-sport venue in Pretoria, South Africa, on Lilian Ngoyi Street (earlier Van der Walt Street) near downtown. It has been utilized by multiple local sports teams in both football/soccer, including Berea Park F.C., and formerly cr ...

, playing under the pseudonym Arthur Williams. After the opposing team

Rangers A Ranger is typically someone in a military/paramilitary or law enforcement role specializing in patrolling a given territory, called “ranging”. The term most often refers to: * Park ranger or forest ranger, a person charged with protecting and ...

became suspicious, and journalists investigated and revealed his real identity, he was visited by the Special Branch and told not to "try it again". By doing so he became the first non-white player to play for an all-white team in South Africa. Moosa later said that the incident and others under apartheid sent him to a psychiatric hospital for a time. In the mid-1970s Moosa had a trial in England with Crystal Palace, and was offered a contract by West Ham United, but failed to gain a work permit for the transfer. Moosa was voted the SA Football Federation's Player of the Year, for three consecutive years – 1972, 1973, and 1974. In addition to Sundowns and Berea Park, Moosa also played for

Swaraj Swarāj ( sa, स्वराज, translit=Svarāja '' sva-'' "self", '' raj'' "rule") can mean generally self-governance or "self-rule". It was first used by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj to attain self rule from the Mughal Empire and the Adil ...

, Bluebells, Durban Aces,

Adriatica Adria and Adriatica are parent Swiss watch brands manufacturing for Eastern European markets. Origin The name originates from the Etruscan city of Atria (or Adria) that also gave its name at a much earlier period to the Adriatic Sea. It is belie ...

, Benoni United, and

Pretoria Callies Pretoria Callies Football Club, also known as Bantu Callies or Pretoria Bantu Callies is a South African professional soccer club based in Pretoria, Gauteng, who currently play in the National First Division. History The club was founded in 1898, ...

Commentating career

Moosa later worked as a racing commentator, coming out of retirement in June 2018 following a 15-year absence.

Sources

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Moosa, Essop 1950s births Living people South African soccer players Mamelodi Sundowns F.C. players Berea Park F.C. players Association football wingers South African people of Gujarati descent Horse racing writers and broadcasters Pretoria Callies F.C. players