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'I came here because I wanted to win trophies,' said the Chiefs defender.
Edmilson Dove has had a frustrating time since joining Kaizer Chiefs in 2022. Picture: Backpagepix
Kaizer Chiefs defender Edmilson Dove has acknowledged his frustration of being an Amakhosi player in an era where the side have won no trophies at all.
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If Chiefs finish the 2024/25 season empty-handed, it will be the tenth season in a row that the club have failed to lift a single piece of official Premier Soccer League silverware.
Dove arrived at Chiefs from Cape Town City in 2022. The Mozambican defender’s game time has been limited by injuries, but he has made 49 appearances so far for Chiefs in all competitions.
“This club deserves to be at the top and we have failed a couple of times,” Dove told a press conference at the Chiefs Village on Thursday.
“I came here because I wanted to win trophies and this is a club that can give you that. Having a feeling that you haven’t done what you came for is quite frustrating but you can only look forward and move on.
“It can’t go on forever, at some point we will get it right and give the club back its glory days.”
Chiefs do still have a shot at a trophy this season, having reached the Nedbank Cup semifinals, where they will face Mamelodi Sundowns.
In the league, however, Nasreddine Nabi’s side are eighth in the Betway Premiership, and need to find some form if they are to make it into next season’s MTN8.
Chiefs will play TS Galaxy in the Premiership on Saturday at the new Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane.
Amakhosi already missed this season’s MTN8, after they ended the 2023/24 season in 10th place under Cavin Johnson, their lowest finish in the PSL era.
“This is not a team that should be fighting for top eight or even top four,” added Dove.
“We deserve to be on the top. I don’t want to dwell on last season a lot. It was disappointing … for us as players not to be able to find ourselves in one of the cups (the 2024 MTN8).
“Such is life, we can only control what we can. The gents are working extremely hard at training.
“The frustration comes at the amount of work you are putting in, then in the game you are not able to walk away with the result. Sometimes you have the feeling you could have been bettter, and sometimes you do everything you can, and it is one of those moments.
“We must never give up, be united and continue pressing forward.”
A large part of Chiefs’ problem this season has been in defence, where they have conceded 28 goals in 23 matches.
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Dove recently came back from a long-term injury this and has started all six of Chiefs’ games in all competitions in March. But Chiefs continue to leak goals.
“Defending doesn’t start at the back,” said Dove.
“It is a united problem. It is something we need to fix, from the front to back. When we concede, it is not only about the defenders, but the whole team.”
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