Junior Khanye confirms he’s still a Chiefs fan

Junior Khanye says he remains one of Kaizer Chiefs’ most passionate fans and that his stinging criticism of the Naturena side is motivated by the immense love he still has for his former employers.

Khanye, who has been one of Chiefs’ fiercest critics in the last few months, especially of hugely polarising coach Ernst Middendorp, was vindicated a few days ago when the choking club failed to win a Premiership title race they had led for almost the entire campaign.

The former Chiefs midfielder said while he had remained vocal since the start of the season in August 2019, maintaining that the club would not win the title on their 50th anniversary under the much vilified German mentor, his heart still belonged to Kaizer Chiefs.

“I am still a Kaizer Chiefs fan, from the bottom of my heart,” he said.

“But when there’s a problem, I can’t camouflage it. The structure is dead there [at Kaizer Chiefs], not the coach.

“OK, the coach [Middendorp] is dead and that is the truth, but the structure is [also] dead.”

Khanye said his stinging criticism had been largely misunderstood by some fans who viewed it as “sour grapes”, when all he wanted to do was share his love for the club.

“I know that some people were angry because I started saying this from last year in October [when Kaizer Chiefs were still top of the standings],” he said.

“I said it last year [in October] that these people [Chiefs] would not win the league.”

Khanye said he never had faith in Middendorp after seeing the way he instructed Chiefs players to play.

“People thought that I was mad and I understood because the spectators did not see what I was seeing,” he said.

“But I knew that the way this guy [Middendorp] was winning, you cannot play all your balls in the air. All the balls in the air belong to all of us and we own it.

“There’s no special players there [at Chiefs], there’s no hunger. Talent only is not enough and that club is not AmaZulu. There is too much pressure there.

“You need players, big players, special players that have got big heart. “Not anyone can play, you are born to play.

“So I had to speak the truth because let us face it ... you know me because of Kaizer Chiefs, that is why I feel the pain. I am open.”

Picture: GALLO IMAGES TOUGH LOVE: Junior Khanye during his Kaizer Chiefs playing days in 2004. The club’s former midfielder says his recent criticism of the outfit stems from his love for his former home.