Motaung voices ire over poor season

Johannesburg - Kaizer Chiefs boss Kaizer Motaung has acknowledged the club’s mistakes and has undertaken to right them and skipper Siphiwe Tshabalala has defended beleaguered coach Steve Komphela.

At the club’s end-of-season awards event on Thursday night, an emotional Motaung went to great lengths to describe the heartache the team had put their supporters through.

He said the fact that Amakhosi had gone two seasons without any silverware was proof that something was wrong at the club.

Not up to scratch

Motaung also had some harsh words for the players, saying they did not come to the party and he urged them to bounce back next season.

“It is very sore for us to go two seasons without a trophy, and it doesn’t auger well in your journey to be remembered as the class that delivered nothing. It was an ‘eish moment’ kind of season, and we need to ask ourselves where we went wrong”.

He added that it would be up to everybody to eradicate the “eish moments.

“It was unprecedented for us to concede so many goals. Even up front, we were not up to scratch. We need to consolidate and address the gaps that we have identified... then we will be home and dry”.

However, he was quick to say that Chiefs would not be aggressive on the transfer market.

“We are not going to be made on the market. We will just have to make the right decisions and get the right skills where we need them”.

Shoulder responsibility

Motaung confirmed, however, that they would release a few players.

“Some of the players we bought last season did not come to the party as they played less than 10% of the matches. We got players we thought were of good quality, but some ended up on the bench. Sometimes you get it right and other times you don’t. Unfortunately, it did not turn out well for us”.

Motaung also said that there was no reason to let Komphela go.

That sentiment was shared by the club’s footballer of the season, Tshabalala, who said the players should shoulder the responsibility for the club’s two poor seasons.

“I am happy the coach is staying and thank the chair for supporting him. Now it is up to us to fight for him on the field,” said Tshabalala, who walked away with five awards, pocketing at total of R210 000.

Tshabalala won the player of the season; top goal scorer; goal of the season; fan player of the season and player of the month awards.

“We can talk and talk, but it is up to us to fight for the badge, for the supporters and ourselves. It is a collective effort and we cannot just put the blame on the coach – we are also to blame,” the skipper said.

Tshabalala said he was receiving the main award with a heavy heart as Chiefs had nothing to show for the season.

“I want to win trophies more than individual accolades. Hopefully, we will bounce back stronger next season because we can’t afford to go three seasons without a trophy".