Kaze Weighs On Sundowns’ Internal Issues
Kaizer Chiefs assistant coach Cedric Kaze has addressed the internal turmoil at Mamelodi Sundowns, cautioning his team not to underestimate the champions ahead of their high-stakes league clash on Wednesday.
The match comes amid key Sundowns players, including PSL Footballer of the Season Lucas Ribeiro Costa and Bafana Bafana international Khuliso Mudau, who are seeking to leave the club.
Neither Costa nor Mudau has played a single match this season. Costa claimed he terminated his contract after Sundowns allegedly blocked a move to Qatar SC and has now taken his case to the FIFA Football Tribunal. Similarly, Mudau is reportedly looking for an exit after the club rejected offers for him.
Despite Sundowns’ recent loss to Orlando Pirates in the MTN8 semi-final and the internal unrest, Kaze remains cautious ahead of their upcoming league match at FNB Stadium on Wednesday (19:30).
While Chiefs are in strong form, having won their first three league matches, Kaze warned that his team must not be complacent.
“People may think that [it is a good time to face them], but at the end of the day, you have to do your job,” Kaze said at a press conference on Monday.
“You have to perform well on the field. It doesn’t matter the context or the circumstances of the opponent, but you still have to perform on the field.”
He emphasized that Chiefs are still playing against a formidable opponent that has won the league eight consecutive times. “I don’t think those kinds of things trouble them that easily,” Kaze added. “We have been talking and working with our players to not rely on the outside, not issues, because there are no issues. But the words we are hearing from outside, we still have to perform and be at our best—in every second and every minute on Wednesday.”
In team news, Kaze confirmed that new striker Flavio Silva is available for selection after his documentation was processed.
However, Etiosa Ighodaro is out with a training injury, and Nkanyisa Shinga and Bradley Cross have been ill. Given Msimango and Rushwin Dortley are still several weeks away from a full return to training.
