Former Kaizer Chiefs captain Itumeleng Khune believes the club’s failure to adequately replace key players contributed to their nine-year trophy drought.
Khune, a seven-time trophy winner with Amakhosi, expressed concern about the club’s leadership vacuum after the departures of experienced players like Willard Katsande, Bernard Parker, Siphiwe Tshabalala, and Reneilwe Letsholonyane. He noted that the younger generation of players lacked the hunger and winning mentality of their predecessors.
“I think we just left some bolts to be loose in certain instances and those were the bolts that were happening off the field and they started affecting the team on the field,” he told SNL24.
“I remember with our generation of Morgan [Gould], we used to have senior players whom when things were not going well, were all captains on the field, but the only difference was Itu was wearing the armband, but we were all leaders and at some point, because as soon as [Willard] Katsande, [Bernard] Parker, [Siphiwe Tshabalala], Yeye [Reneilwe Letsholonyane] left, I was exposed to more or less being left alone because I was left with Tower [Eric Mathoho]; but Tower is not a talkative person, he’s so quiet.
“But I was sharing a room with him, and I would always run things past him before I went to the rest of the guys. That has always been my leadership skill to say, let me involve everyone before I make the final decision and I think the more the guys started leaving from the generation of ‘vat alles’ [take everything] winning trophies, I think the new players who came in, I can’t really say, they lost their hunger, but it’s because they were never exposed to that.”
Khune emphasized the importance of strong leadership and a winning mentality, suggesting that the club needs to address off-field issues to regain its former glory. With the Nedbank Cup providing the best opportunity for a trophy this season, Chiefs will need to maintain consistent performances to end their trophy drought.
“The guys who were there in my time had the taste of winning and as soon as they moved to Chiefs, there was no need for us to motivate them to win, they were already players who have won silverware, and they knew how it felt,” he added.
“So unfortunately, the ones who came afterward didn’t experience all of that and it was difficult for them to win. I think most of the time players were just on the field just to be counted that they are Chiefs players, but you don’t want to spend 20 years in the club or even two years and not even win a single cup. And at that time, how many cups do we play for in a season? You can’t tell me a club like Kaizer Chiefs can’t win a single cup every season.”