Trophy drought drives AmaKhosi fans nuts, says Dladla
JOBURG – Dladla says AmaKhosi must come out of the double-legged semi-final intact and one hand will be on the trophy already.
Former Kaizer Chiefs stalwart, Josta Dladla conceded that the Amakhosi faithful have run out of patience with their team being the laughing stock of South African football.
However, Dladla firmly believes the new coach and club management should be given time to run off the Fifa ban on the registration of new players.
Dladla’s comments come in the wake of back-to-back unpalatable losses to arch-rivals Mamelodi Sundowns in the 2019/20 season and the opening match of the 2020/21 season. Coupled with all this is the fact that Amakhosi have gone trophy-less for more than five years which is not akin with the proud history and culture of the club.
“Everyone thought the 2019/20 season was in the bag after showing the chasing pack a clean pair of heels for the entire season, only for Masandawana to snatch it right under our feet in the last game of the season.
“We’re used to winning trophies and being on podium finishes most of the time but to go through such an elongated trophy drought is driving our fans nuts,” said Dladla in an interview with Alex News ahead of the MTN8 first leg semi-final Soweto derby against Orlando Pirates on 31 October. The second leg is scheduled for 8 November.
“I urge all our supporters to be patient with the new coach Gavin Hunt and the management of the club so they can all ride the storm of the Fifa ban as smoothly as possible.
“We have enough material to bring back the glory years. If they could cling onto the number one spot for the entire season, it tells you they have what it takes to be champion beaters and trophy winners.”
Turning to the upcoming MTN8 semi-final, Dladla cautioned the Buccaneers against coming into this derby too cocky and thinking that they were in form and that Chiefs had lost theirs.
“Derbies know no form book and no one is as good as their last match. In a derby, anything is possible and anyone can win, regardless of form. If we can come out of this double-legged semi-final derby with our pride intact, then we know we have one hand on the trophy already.”
Meanwhile, for every goal scored in regulation time of the MTN8 tournament, the Premier Soccer League and its partner MTN will donate R20 000 towards a charity under its Goals for Charity initiative which has been running for a number of years now.
Related article:
https://alexnews.co.za/140820/chiefs-downs-set-to-thrill/
https://alexnews.co.za/86355/amakhosi-come-to-moses-mabhida-stadium/
