Kaizer Chiefs have made yet another underwhelming start to a season and are seemingly out of the running for the Betway Premiership title. What gives?
Nabi started well but the wheels fell off
The signs were good at the start of the campaign, with Chiefs picking up wins over Marumo Gallants and AmaZulu. The warning signs were there, however, with no clean sheets in either of those games. Criticism of Chiefs in the past few seasons has been around their inability to score goals, but clean sheets are important. After eight games of the current Betway Premiership season, the Glamour Boys have ZERO shutouts. That, despite a new-look defence with expensive signings like goalkeeper Fiacre Ntwari, and central defenders Rushwin Dortley and Inacio Miguel. Manager Nasreddine Nabi seems to be struggling with the scope of the task.
Did Motaung Jr flush R40 million down the pipes?
According to Soccer-Laduma, Portuguese side Vitoria Guimaraes made an offer in the region of €2m (R40 million) for Ashley Du Preez. However, Chiefs couldn’t entertain offers for the former Stellies man before they signed suitable attacking replacements. This looks to be a foolish mistake from the board. Du Preez is the joint-most expensive signing in Chiefs’ history. The €600k (R11.2 million) is equal to the sum paid for Morgan Gould (inflation-adjusted) back in the 2012-2012 campaign. Can the board justify that outlay, looking at Du Preez’s output in his two-and-a-half years at the club? The club might see now as a decent time to sell the striker, given his market value of €1m. However, they’re unlikely to get anything close to that from any local buyers.
There was also the strange decision to release Puso Dithejane who’s now thriving for TS Galaxy, so much so that Chiefs tacitly owned up to their mistake by admitting interest in bringing the talented 20-year-old back to Naturena.
Are Chiefs suffering at the hands of Nepotism?
Some fans certainly think so. @TheeUltimateLee on X, last season it must be said, reckoned Bobby Motaung, Kaizer Motaung Jr, Jessica Motaung and co aren’t fit for the roles entrusted to them within the club. It’s a bold theory, but one worth considering. Has Mr Motaung Jr achieved the objectives laid down to him as the sporting director of Kaizer Chiefs football club? It’s doubtful. One fan even said he was ‘building his legacy on a wetland.’
What are your feelings on the job being done by Mr Motaung Jr?
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