Solinas in ‘pain’ after another derby defeat
Chiefs coach vows to keep fighting
Embattled Italian Giovanni Solinas struggled to find the words to express his emotions after his Kaizer Chiefs side succumbed to a third defeat this year to bitter rivals Orlando Pirates at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in an exciting Telkom Knockout semifinal a the weekend.
The visibly distraught Solinas took almost 30 seconds to compose himself after Justin Shonga’s 84th-minute goal saw Pirates march to the final with a 2-1 win. “I feel pain‚” were the first words uttered by Solinas after the loss. “We lost the derby again but we tried to fight to the last seconds and we created two chances towards the end of the game.” Solinas vowed to continue fighting for Chiefs‚ adding that he was working hard to fix Amakhosi’s problems. “Me I work hard‚ guys‚ me I work 10 hours. Maybe from tomorrow it is not enough‚” he said. “Maybe I will work 11 or 12‚ but me I never give up. I want to continue fighting. This is my spirit.”
Asked how he intends to motivate his players as Chiefs continue their three-year barren spell‚ Solinas said his players were equally gutted but added Amakhosi still have a lot to fight for this season. “I come from the dressingroom and the guys are very affected‚” said Solinas. “But I repeat‚ me I never give up.” Solinas also tried to encourage the club’s disappointed supporters‚ telling them to give him more time to fine-tune the team.
“I want to say to our supporters that they must not abandon Kaizer Chiefs.
“I’m sure that in the future‚ Kaizer Chiefs will not disappoint our fans.
“I apologise to our supporters because we deserved more in this game.”