HARSH WORDS Former Kaizer Chiefs goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune (centre) criticised the club's inconsistent goalkeeping performance this season, attributing their struggles to the lack of a reliable and consistent shot-stopper. Picture: Muzi Ntombela/BackpagePix
Image: Muzi Ntombela/BackpagePix
Former Kaizer Chiefs shot-stopper Itumeleng Khune has suggested that the goalkeeping department is where AmaKhosi have been found wanting this season.
Khune, 37, left the club at the beginning of the campaign, and in his stead, Bruce Bvuma, Brandon Petersen, and more recently Fiacre Ntwari have been the goalkeepers used by Chiefs.
Chiefs have conceded 29 goals in 26 Betway Premiership matches this season. Only three teams have conceded more, and two of those sides are in the bottom of the log.
It’s no surprise then that Chiefs find themselves in eighth spot with five games remaining and face the prospect of missing out on the lucrative top eight for a second season in a row.
Khune, meanwhile, hinted that none of the Chiefs replacements were as good as he was in his heyday.
“After me, yes, they need to get a goalkeeper who can give them 30 consecutive league games—someone who can play in all the domestic cup competitions and help win silverware for the club,” Khune told iDiski Times.
“A goalkeeper should be present throughout the season. But what we’ve seen this season is far from ideal. The team has played just 24 league matches, yet all three goalkeepers have already been utilised. There’s been no consistency. Some play two or three games, concede six or seven goals— that’s not the Kaizer Chiefs standard.”
In another thinly veiled dig since the former Bafana Bafana keeper left Chiefs after 20 years with the club, Khune said: “You need someone who is physically, mentally, and emotionally strong— someone reliable who can lead from the back and inspire the rest of the team.
“Unfortunately, I haven’t seen that level of leadership and consistency this season.
“Every time I wore the jersey, I understood the responsibility it came with. I gave everything on the field to earn the trust of the supporters, and I was rewarded by consistently being the first-choice keeper, playing 30 matches per season, and representing Bafana Bafana on the biggest stages.”
“I never complained about fatigue or circumstances, because I knew those opportunities were rare. You don’t want to retire and be filled with regret.”
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