Johannesburg - Kaizer Chiefs football manager Bobby Motaung has weighed in on the allegations that one of the club’s young sensations is an age cheat.
Since bursting onto the scene and scoring on his debut for Amakhosi, 17-year-old Wiseman Meyiwa has been the subject of nasty comments on social media.
Leave him alone
But Motaung, who said he was aware of the comments, said there was no substance to the allegations that Meyiwa was not 17, and they were not worthy of a response.
He referred to them as “lousy jealousy from haters.
“Why now?” asked Motaung. “This boy was there in the national Under-17 and Under-20 teams, and they didn’t say anything. These are people who want to pull him down and make him lose focus, and we are not going to dignify that with a comment. They must just leave our boy alone.
“Where were these people when he represented the country at World Cup events where they have age verification processes? Is it because he is now with the first team and they want to destabilise him? This is a pull-him-down syndrome because they want to see him fail, but he has our support.
Verification process
“Whoever started this rumour must go jump because we are not going to entertain it".
Motaung said the club had gone through its own verification process and was happy with the result.
Meyiwa was part of the national Under-17 team that took part in the Fifa World Cup in Chile last year and he participated in the Fifa Under-20 World Cup in South Korea in May.