Ben Youssef Questions PSL On Unfair Treatment
Kaizer Chiefs co-coach Khalil Ben Youssef has raised serious concerns about fixture congestion after his side’s impressive CAF Confederation Cup victory over Egyptian giants Al Masry, questioning why their domestic matches are not postponed while representing South Africa.
Amakhosi climbed to the top of Group D on Sunday after defeating Egyptian giants Al Masry, securing their fifth win from six matches in a demanding start to the year that has seen them constantly on the road.
Chiefs have played six games in 2025 so far, two in the Betway Premiership, one in the Nedbank Cup, and three in the CAF Confederation Cup, with only one of those matches played in Johannesburg.
Despite the heavy schedule and constant travel, Chiefs have managed to grind out results, but Ben Youssef made it clear after the match that the situation is far from ideal for a team representing the country on the continental stage.
“We played five or four games away, we’re in a situation where we come back today [Sunday], and tomorrow [Monday] we’re going back, and we don’t have time to prepare for the next game,” Ben Youssef said.
“Our players have now been without any training sessions. We play today [Sunday], then tomorrow [Monday] it’s rest, then the next day it’s matchday.
“We are in a situation as Kaizer Chiefs, we’re playing this competition, and we play all our PSL games. I remember last season, a lot of teams were playing CAF games, and they changed the fixture, and they continued their last five games of the league in May.
“We are playing the CAF, and we play almost all the games, while some teams don’t play anything, and they want us to have the same number of games.”
“So, I think as Kaizer Chiefs we’re representing Bafana Bafana, South Africa, the country. We also have to think about the team on how we manage it, and we’ve not played for two months, and we’re expected to play many games, and how can we deal with that?
“Playing outside, traveling, and we’re risking our players getting tired. So, for us, we have to make a rotation, and with this rotation, we lost (Inacio) Miguel in the last game because he got injured as we played many games.
“Aden McCarthy got a yellow card, and now we have only Zitha (Kwinika) as centre back. This is not an excuse, but it’s a reality, and if you want to improve, you have to help your team also.
“We’re representing South Africa and Kaizer Chiefs, and we did this last season, and it’s the same thing. Last season, some teams played the last five or six games in May, and this season, some teams, I won’t mention the name, have played the same games with us, and they play nothing.”
The congested schedule has also forced Chiefs to gamble on Given Msimango, who recently returned from a long-term injury, while Inacio Miguel has been sidelined after featuring regularly.
“Given (Msimango) comes from six months injured, and we’re taking a risk with him as he played 90 minutes and he must play 90 minutes again next game,” Ben Youssef added.
“We are taking a big risk because we don’t have a centre back. Regarding this fixture, we try to do everything with our doctors to manage our players.
“We are traveling, coming back, then we play another game, it’s really crazy.”
Chiefs will conclude their Confederation Cup group stage campaign against another Egyptian side, Zamalek, on Sunday, knowing that a draw or a win will be enough to book their place in the quarter-finals as they continue to carry South Africa’s hopes on the continental stage.
