Chippa lose three key players

CHIPPA United will be minus three of their stars when the Premier Soccer League resumes for the second half of the season next month.

Owner Siviwe “Chippa” Mpengesi confirmed yesterday that Thembinkosi Lorch, James Okwuosa and Marc van Heerden had all parted ways with the club to join Soweto giants Orlando Pirates.

Okwuosa and Van Heerden join Pirates as part of a swap deal which sees the return of Nkosinathi Mthiyane and new signings Justice Tshabalala, Donald Mokondelela and Sello Japhta.

Talented midfielder Lorch, who was on loan from Pirates, has been recalled by his club.

“Our ambitions are different compared to those of Pirates, so with what we have and the players that are part of Chippa we can still achieve our goal of finishing in the top eight,” Mpengesi said.

“A player like James has been serving the club for five seasons, so we are rewarding him by allowing him to go to a club of Orlando Pirates’ calibre.

“It’s a good reward and I feel happy for him.

“Also, Marc’s career was fading before joining Chippa, but in a space of five months we were able to help him revive it and that is our job.

“That job is to give players a chance to reach their dreams.”

Fans, however, may question Chippa’s decision to sell some of their key players.

The Chilli Boys are 11th on the log with 16 points from 14 matches. They are just four points clear of the relegation zone.

But Mpengesi said the side had calculated the risks before letting go of the players and fans should not be worried that the players who are coming in will be able to get the job done.

“Nkosinathi Mthiyane is coming back to replace Lorch. He did well for the club last season. He was a good player, scoring and defending.

“Defender Justice Tshabalala will be joining the team. He was a regular at Pirates. “We think he will do well for us.” Chippa are expected to return to the Bay this week after a week-long pre-season camp in Cape Town. The team have only about 10 days after that before they get back into action.

Their first match of the new year is against struggling Baroka at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on Tuesday February 7.

Our job is to give players a chance to reach their dreams