I feel sorry for the chairman
On the scenes after Chiefs’ Carling Knockout loss to AmaZulu FC
After the match against TS Galaxy at Mbombela Stadium, there were supporters throwing missiles onto the field and then in Limpopo after we lost to Supersport United, the same thing happened. This past weekend against AmaZulu FC, we witnessed the same thing. I have one leg inside the management and I have another leg with the supporters. When the team is losing, we all have frustrations, but it’s not good to see supporters throwing objects inside the field when the team is losing, it doesn’t matter how unhappy we are about the results. Supporters are saying that we have good players but we can’t get good results and the Carling Knockout was our last hope of winning a trophy this year, and now we’ve been knocked out early. Supporters are saying these results are not good. I hear that, but my only issue with this is that if we continue with this behaviour, the team will be fined and asked to play matches behind closed doors by the PSL. When the PSL says enough is enough and punish us with playing matches behind closed doors, loyal supporters who really love Kaizer Chiefs will suffer, and as a big club, that will not be good. That is going to be a problem! There are fans who know that when the club loses, they will resort to fighting and these fans will bring to the stadium people who don’t love Chiefs. And when we are losing, these very same people who are not true Chiefs supporters are the ones throwing objects. As a Chiefs supporter, before you vent out your frustrations, you must first look at who is sitting next you at the stadium because your actions might influence other people. Our slogan is Love and Peace and I understand the pain our supporters are going through because of the team losing. I understand that supporters are spending their hard-earned money on tickets, transport to matches, merchandise and accommodation, but that doesn’t mean that when the team is not performing well, we must resort to violence. This issue is destroying the good name and reputation of Kaizer Chiefs. I feel sorry for the club chairman, Dr. Kaizer Motaung, for him to see what is happening. Chiefs is a big club and everyone watched the match against AmaZulu. What happened will cost us sponsors and the reputation of the club. Chiefs does not own even FNB Stadium… that is someone else’s property. When we have a problem as supporters, we can’t be throwing objects. If you have an issue, go to the chairperson of your supporters’ branch and express your feelings. In meetings, express your thoughts and write a letter to the club officials and ask for a meeting. You can’t go to the stadium, you can’t go to someone else’s property and start throwing missiles. That is going to cost the team. PSL have already given us a warning and maybe the match against AmaZulu was the last time we watched at the stadium. One day the PSL will ask us to play matches behind closed doors and what do you think is going to happen? If that happens, 85 percent of supporters will suffer because of the 15 percent that is not behaving.
On the effort put in by the players
On the other hand, players must also respect their jobs. Players must show with their body language what they want to achieve on the field. They must show that they respect the badge. Players must protect the legacy of the chairman, Mr. Kaizer Motaung. In the 1980s and 1990s, we used to have a PRO,
Louis Tshakoane, who used to tell us before kick-off, which players would not be playing because of injuries and suspensions so that we could know what was happening. Two weeks before Soweto Derby matches, he used to visit the supporters’ branches and listen to our complaints as supporters. He used to write our complaints down and take them to the board meetings or club management. But now we don’t have PRO, we have Communications Managers. They don’t ask supporters what is the problem. When the team is losing, you can see how supporters are behaving before the final whistle blows. The PRO used to move around the stadium to tell the supporters to calm down because he could see where the anger was coming from. But now, you see the Communications Manager going to the coach to protect him instead of going to the supporters and making them to calm down. While the coach is doing post-match interviews, go to the supporters and tell them to calm down just like what Bobby Motaung did in Limpopo when we played against SuperSport. If Bobby didn’t do that, there was going to be more chaos and damage. No one goes to the supporters, and you can’t wait for the incidents to happen before you start talking.
On what he thinks the way forward is
The club will be playing the Soweto Derby on November 11 and we must call an imbizo before that to hear the complaints of supporters. The supporters have so much anger. I understand they have a painful stress and they are very angry. Louis Tshakoane and Putco Mafani used to have a database of how many card-carrying supporters we had and how many branch chairmen we had. I understand that Bobby is a football manager, but he must stand up and call a meeting and talk to the supporters. He must not wait for the media because the media can spread dangerous messages. Media only wants to sell their papers. As Saddam, I feel sorry for the chairman. Where is the old Kaizer Chiefs protocol that the PRO must communicate with the supporters? Now there is a gap between the office and the supporters. The new players and new supporters, you can’t tell them anything because they get all their information from social media. In the old days, myself, the late Thomas Whitey and Muguyo, we used to go to the supporters and ask them what they wanted and then communicate with the PRO. At matches, we used to have banners with branch names around the stadium. Where there was a problem, we would go to the chairman of that respective branch and talk to him. We used to stop the fights before they even happened. I respect the Communications Managers and I don’t want any problem, but there is a gap between the club and the supporters. Supporters don’t know where to cry. After the match against AmaZulu, which branch received a phone call to ask what was happening at the stadium? I can’t tell you.