Fans feel sorry Chiefs got rid of me - Vries
Namibia international and Swallows FC goalkeeper Virgil Vries has opened up about his time at Kaizer Chiefs and the mistakes he made during his short stint as their shotstopper.
The 31-year-old played for the Glamour Boys between 2018 and 2019, and one of the glaring mistakes was to concede a goal against Mamelodi Sundowns on 5 January 2019.
Vries has revealed that some Chiefs fans are still angry at him for the mistakes that cost the team some crucial points, but he understands why they still blame him, saying he’s the one who hurt them.
“Some Chiefs fans are still angry with me for what happened. I can’t say they hold grudges because they love their team and want to see it do well. I am the one who hurt them. People will always remember you for your mistakes. I admit my mistakes,” said Vries.
On the positive note, Vries, who has done tremendously well for Swallows thus far, said some Chiefs supporters are sorry that the club ended up releasing him, and this is because of his lackluster performances between the sticks.
However, the Namibia international said the mistakes he made at Chiefs made him grow as a player. “But some fans still tell me they know how good I am as a goalkeeper because they see me doing well for Swallows,” revealed Vries.
“They say they are sorry their team got rid of me but then it’s all behind me. The mistakes I made at Chiefs made me grow as a player.”
Vries added that a lot happened after his goalkeeping blunders at Chiefs but he’s over it, and he believes it was no coincidence that he played for the Soweto giants, saying he’s now a better goalkeeper.
“A lot happened after the mistakes I made at Chiefs but I had to put it aside and believe in who I was. It was no coincidence that I played for Chiefs. Since then, I have never been the goalkeeper I used to be. I am a better goalkeeper now,” added Vries.
Vries has featured in 15 competitive games for Swallows this season. He has conceded 13 goals and kept five clean sheets.