Doctor Khumalo at Baroka

Baroka Football Club appointed former Kaizer Chiefs Football Club midfielder and Bafana Bafana legend, Doctor Khumalo as its Technical Director recently.
Khumalo started playing soccer in 1984 with Swallows Reserves, and then went to Kaizer Chiefs, where he initially played for the junior team. He was promoted to the senior team by the late Ted Dumitru the following year, when he started a game against arch rivals Orlando Pirates. Khumalo went on to become a star player for Kaizer Chiefs and did not play for any other South African soccer club, only leaving them for short overseas playing periods.
He signed with Fifa agent Marcelo Houseman who first took him to Argentinian club Ferro Carril Oeste for six months in 1995, while in 1996 he played for the Columbus Crew of Major League Soccer.
The height of Khumalo’s soccer career was in the 1990s. He was part of the Kaizer Chiefs teams that won three South African league championship titles and five knockout trophies and was also voted South African Footballer of the Year in 1992. During his career at the club, he played in a total of 397 league and cup games, scoring 75 goals.
After the re-admission of South Africa to FIFA in 1992, Khumalo was selected to be a member of the South African squad for its first official international match in July of the same year, against Cameroon. South Africa won the match 1–0, due to a penalty scored by Khumalo. He was also a leading member of the winning South African national team at the 1996 African Nations Cup. He also represented South Africa in the 1998 Football World Cup. Throughout his international career, he played for Bafana Bafana 50 times and thus making him the 13th most capped South African footballer. One of his most memorable games was perhaps the 1996 Mandela Cup match, where South Africa (Bafana Bafana) played against Brazil. Phil Masinga scored the first goal from Doctor Khumalo’s corner kick. Khumalo then scored the second goal to make the score 2–0 in favor of the South Africans. Unfortunately for Bafana, Brazil came back in the second half, scoring three goals, to win the encounter 3-2.
He retired in 2002 and then in 2004 as a player-coach. He was a winning co-coach with the legendary Donald Ace Khuse of Kaizer Chiefs in the 2002 to 2003 PSL season guiding Chiefs to a 12-game unbeaten record and earning themselves a joint Coach of the Month PSL award.
Khumalo was voted 62nd among the Top 100 Great South Africans in 2004. He holds Level 1, 2 and 3 coaching licences from the South African Football Association, obtained an English Football Association licence in 2005 and a UEFA B licence through the German Football Federation in 2007.
Chief Executive Officer of Baroka Football Club, Morgan Mammilla said having Khumalo on-board was exciting and they were looking forward to working with him. “This is the big signee we have been talking about. We are happy to have him in the club. He is a qualified coach, legend of the game and one of the most decorated former football players in the country. He will also be part of our development structures and he will work with our technical team. He will be involved in our coaching clinics and road shows and help us to grow the Baroka brand.” According to Mamilla Khumalo was introduced to supporters during the match against Orlando Pirates on Tuesday at the new Peter Mokaba Stadium. “He conducted meet-and-greet sessions before and after the match and supporters had the chance to pose for photographs with him.”

Story: Herbert Rachuene
>>herbert.observer@gmail.com